Mental toughness and preparedness will be key ingredients on the stingy waters of the FLW Cup this weekend at Pittsburgh. Anglers will have to be ready for every bite and since they are hard to come by and few in between anglers who have done their homework and have fished these types of tough fisheries will be best prepared for the grind em' out affair.
Those who did their homework and fish the moment will prevail is our guess.
Championships shouldn't be slugfests and this one will not be even with the best conditions. Small fish are the norm and an angler who can land a 3 pounder will be in high cotton. Small baits, light line and fairy wands will be the norm on the 3 tough rivers. Recent heavy rains also add to the equation and finding clear or at a minimum lightly off colored water will be a must.
FLW Cup competitors will be pulling out all of the stops. Scents, extra sharp hooks, tough line, small baits and die-hard sticktoitiveness will be essential.
We look for guys like Dave Lefebre, a local favorite, Mike Iaconelli, Luke Clausen and last years winner Michael Bennett to fair well under these conditions. Don't forget about river rats like Ron Shuffield too. He knows how to catch them and river systems is where he cut his teeth.
The FLW Cup Tournament staff cut down the areas available to the anglers and that makes it even tougher as long runs will not be the norm. Those that stay close to home, pick every piece of structure apart and don't miss fish will be the ones to watch.
It will be super tough but exciting none the less and the cream will rise to the top. Stay tuned to Wired2Fish from the Cup for news.
