High Water Cancels Day One Of Rayovac Flw Series On The James River
May 1, 2014
|In MLF Big 5
Day one of the Rayovac FLW Series event at the James River presented by Mercury has been canceled due to high water and unsafe conditions. Conditions permitting, the event will be shortened to two days and is expected to resume at 6:30 a.m. Friday morning at Osborne Landing.
The National Weather Service declares flood stage for this portion of the James River to be at 12 feet with it currently sitting above 13 feet. When the river finally crests, it is predicted to be close to 15 feet. Adding to the dangers of the high water is the debris – both seen and unseen – that litters the river. Many anglers quickly agreed with the decision as they witnessed logs the size of most of the competitor’s boats being swept past the ramp.
“The river is actually closed 20 miles north of here because of how swift the current is,” said Rayovac FLW Series Tournament Director Ron Lappin. “FLW has always erred on the side of safety so postponing day one was in the best interest for the anglers. The river is expected to crest this afternoon and we will keep checking it throughout the day. Our plan as of now is to fish the entire field on both Friday and Saturday. Obviously, that could change depending on the river conditions but that will be decided tomorrow morning.”
Anglers will take off from the Osborne Landing located at 9680 Osborne Turnpike in Richmond, Va., at 6:30 a.m. each day. Weigh-ins will also be held at Osborne Landing each day beginning at 2:30 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.
Pros will fish for a top award of $40,000 plus a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard if Ranger Cup guidelines are met. Co-anglers will cast for a top award consisting of a Ranger Z117 with 90-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $5,000 if Ranger Cup guidelines are met.
The Rayovac FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments and competitors will be vying for valuable points in each division that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Rayovac FLW Series Championship. The 2014 Rayovac FLW Series Championship is being held Oct. 30-Nov. 1 on Wheeler Lake in Rogersville, Ala.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Rayovac FLW Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
