The FLW Outdoors BFL All-American started today on DeGray Lake in Arkansas. This tournament is one of the pillars of tournament bass fishing and was the launching pad for many of the sports great names. Anglers like Rick Clunn, Shaw Grigsby, Clark Wendlandt, Joe Thomas, Stephen Browning, O.T. Fears, and more. And new names like Adam Wagner used the BFL as a proving ground to show they could compete with the best in the sport.

 

Our buddy Patrick Baker penned a piece this morning on FLWOutdoors.com about the fishing on Degray this week. But the All-American is more than just the fishing. It's a time for all the every-day, hard-working anglers of the country to realize dreams. Winning the All-American is a tangible dream that many of us had since our first tournament. Albeit it's probably the hardest path to a national championship in all of fishing. Not only do you have to beat the best anglers on your lake, in your state and in your region, but then you have to beat all the best anglers from various regions around the country on a lake most have never fished.

 

One talented angler will walk off stage with the trophy in hand and possibly $130,000 in his bank account, but his title of All-American Champion will be written in the history books for all of time.

 

Check out FLWOutdoors.com for updates on the tournament and live weigh-in at 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday on FLW Live.