Anglers Line Up To Be Boaters For Warriors On The Water On Jordan Lake
Nobody wins money in the annual WOW Tournament, but bass anglers will stay up all night long to make sure they get their entry in.
“We all tournament fish and we all want to win money, but this is not a money tournament and guys say they look forward to this tournament all year long,” said Hal Abshire, tournament director for WOW, which stands for Warriors on the Water. “They honestly get it, they know it is not about them. Ir’s about the military men and women who are in the boats with them.”
The tournament teams military personnel from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force, with civilian anglers who regularly fish bass tournaments. The 8th Annual Warriors on the Water Tournament will be held Friday on North Carolina’s Jordan Lake.
“We open the sign-up period on 9-11. We started at midnight last 9-11 and by 8 or 9 o’clock the next morning we had more than 80 boaters signed up. It was unreal,” Abshire said.
There are more than 150 boaters signed up for the tournament, with some coming from as far away as Pennsylvania, Abshire said.
There are three major events before the tournament, he added, the Icebreaker and a Little Heroes Tour Wednesday and a VIP Day Thursday.
On Wednesday morning several of the boaters trailer their rigs to the two elementary schools on Fort Bragg. They park their boats in the parking lot where the kids can come out and meet them and see them demonstrate fishing techniques and lures.
“A lot of those kids’ moms or dads are deployed. It is a treat to see the children’s eyes,” Abshire said.
Then on Thursday, Abshire will lead sponsors, volunteers and some of the fishermen to Fort Bragg and Hope Field.
“We want them to see what the military people do and then we bring the military people in on Friday and I tell them I want you to see what the fishermen do,” Abshire said.
Two special guests will appear at the festivities this year, Bassmaster Elite Pro Mark Menendez and former Elite Angler Jarett Edwards, host of “Jarrett Edwards Outdoors” on The Sporsman Channel and the World Fishing Network, HD.
Menendez is taking a leave of absence from the Elite Series this year while his wife undergoes treatment for cancer and Edwards is a cancer survivor, having undergone successful treatment for Hodgkins disease which knocked him off the Elite Tour.
The week ends Friday with the tournament where the top five teams are presented with trophies and gifts. Another special presentation is made to the winner of the Big Bass Award, which named in honor of a fallen soldier.
“The Big Bass Award has the fallen soldier’s name on it and we invite his family to attend the presentation,” Abshire said.
Warriors On The Water
Fri, Apr 19, 2013
Jordan Lake – NC
New Hope Ramp
Call Hal Abshire 910-783-9233
