CULLMAN, Ala. – The third MLF Invitational event of the season takes place today through Thursday at Lewis Smith Lake.
The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit Cullman, Alabama, will feature a field of professional bass anglers competing for a top prize of up to $115,000. Anglers will take to the water to catch their five biggest bass each day, and the winner will be determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative total.
Local standout Jordan Wiggins of Cullman, who has three Top-10 finishes on Smith Lake in MLF competition – including two victories – knows this lake better than most, but he says even anglers who are extremely familiar with the lake will have to stay on their toes.
said that right now Smith Lake has fish in all stages of the spawn.
“We’re probably going see a little bit of everything – pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn,” Wiggins said. “You’ll be able to catch plenty of spawning spotted bass, even if you can’t actually see them. There are key stretches they use every year, and that’s where you’ll find ‘em.”
While numbers shouldn’t be a problem, Wiggins noted that size will be the difference-maker.
“You usually have to cull through a lot of little ones to get a decent bag. The key will be finding those sections where the bigger ones have pulled up.”
When it comes to baits, Wiggins is keeping it simple.
“I’ll have a shaky-head with a green pumpkin Reaction Innovations Flirt Worm—that five-inch finesse worm is my go-to,” he said. “I might also throw a Neko rig with the seven-inch, but more than likely, it’s gonna be that shaky-head doing the work.”
As for weights, Wiggins predicts consistency will be crucial.
“You’re gonna see a lot of 13-pound bags, but I think it’ll take around 16 pounds a day to win. I predict the winner is going to have right around 48 pounds total over three days.”
Anglers launch at 6:30 a.m. CT each day from Smith Lake Park, located at 403 County Road 386 in Cullman. Weigh-ins will be held at Smith Lake Park and will begin at 2:30 p.m.
In TInvitationals competition, the full field competes in the two-day opening round on Tuesday and Wednesday in a five-fish, weigh-in format. Only the Top 30 pros, based on their two-day cumulative weight, advance to the final round on Thursday, where they will compete for the grand prize of up to $115,000. The winner is determined by the heaviest three-day cumulative weight.
Forward-facing and/or 360-degree sonar is limited to Days 1 and 3 of competition. No forward-facing and/or 360-degree sonar will be allowed on Day 2.
The MLFNOW! broadcast team of Chad McKee and Rob Newell break down the extended action live all three days from 7 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. CT. MLFNOW! is live-streamed on MajorLeagueFishing.com, the MyOutdoorTV (MOTV) app and Rumble.
