Arkansas Sportsman

Forrest Wood Cup offers a lot more than just fishing

Along with some excellent fishing, Arkansans will have plenty to do this weekend in Little Rock and Hot Springs.

Fans of professional bass fishing will be interested in the Forrest Wood Cup weigh-ins today through Sunday at 7 p.m. at Bank of the Ozarks Arena in Hot Springs.

Weigh-ins at major bass fishing championships are electrifying experiences, especially in Hot Springs. It's a major bass fishing destination, and spectators are avid and knowledgeable.

The shows are fast-paced and well-crafted. The emcees provide enough background to establish personal connections with the anglers. Tension builds, and there is always a lot of drama in the Saturday and Sunday weigh-ins. If Larry Nixon, Stetson Blaylock or Shawn Gordon are in contention late, expect the crowds to be electric.

Plus, FLW upped the ante this year by booking Justin Moore of Poyen to give a free concert before the final weigh-in Sunday. Moore, the Country Music Association's newcomer of the year in 2014, is an avid hunter and fisherman. He will probably fill the house, so come early.

OUTDOOR HALL OF FAME

The Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation will induct five new members into the Arkansas Outdoor Hall of Fame on Friday during its annual banquet and auction at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.

This year's inductees will be Steve Bowman, George Dunklin, Jerry Fisk and the late Joel Campora and Jim Gaston.

Bowman was the former outdoor editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. In that role he advocated the adoption of the three-point rule that defines a legal buck as having three points on one antler. That regulation improved the age structure of the state's buck population and led to more progressive deer management techniques.

Bowman also authored the Arkansas Duck Hunter's Almanac and The Season. Since 2000 he has worked for JM Associates as a television producer and editor of the ESPN Outdoors website.

Dunklin served on the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission from 2005-12. He also served two terms as president of Ducks Unlimited and is chairman of the Ducks Unlimited board of directors.

As the owner of 5 Oaks Lodge, a world-famous duck hunting destination near Stuttgart, he has hosted numerous dignitaries, including former Vice President Dick Cheney and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. He also hosts an annual Ducks Unlimited Greenwings camp for youngsters.

Campora was an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission wildlife officer who died in 2013 while attempting to rescue two women from rising floodwaters near Y City.

Fisk, a Nashville native, is one of the world's most respected knifemakers.

Fisk began making knives in 1974 and became a Journeyman Smith through the American Bladesmith Society in 1987. In 1989 he became the 17th Master Smith recognized by the ABS. Fisk has received Beretta's Outstanding Award for Achievement in Handcrafted Cutlery, the Bill Moran Award for the ABS 1990 Knife of the Year, the Arkansas Governor's Award and currently holds the title of National Living Treasure, the first knifemaker to receive this title.

Fisk has served on the governing board of the ABS, was inducted into the Bladesmith Hall of Fame and developed the Bladesmithing School in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Gaston, who died in July, owned Gaston's Resort in Lakeview, a world-famous trout fishing lodge. He was instrumental in developing the tourism industry in northern Arkansas and played a major role in instituting a minimum flow regimen in the White River below Bull Shoals Lake.

Gaston also was an accomplished wildlife and nature photographer.

In addition to the induction ceremony, there will be a dinner catered by Whole Hog Barbecue, as well as live and silent auctions in which attendees may bid on boats, firearms, artwork, hunting and fishing trips and a host of other items.

The reception and silent auction will begin at 6 p.m., and dinner will begin at 7 p.m.

Tickets to the event cost $100, and tables seating 10 are available for $1,000.

More information is available by calling the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation at (501) 223-6468.

Sports on 08/20/2015

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