<p>Bill McDonald had been familiar with the waters of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, but only by reputation.</p><p>That changed over the weekend as the Greenwood resident, one of 50 pros qualified for the Fishing League Worldwide Tackle Warehouse TITLE event, got in some practice time for this week’s showcase.</p><p>Qualifying rounds are today through Thursday with the rounds of the final 20 and 10 anglers conducted Friday and Saturday, respectively.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]<p>The format is catch, weigh and immediate release, with $200,000 going to the winner.</p><p>“It’s a phenomenal smallmouth (bass) fishery, and I love to catch smallmouth,” said McDonald, 60, who has fished competitively since the mid-1980s and been with the FLW for 11 years. “It’s just the strength of the fish, and this is a tournament where every fish counts.</p><p>“If you can find them bunched up, you can jump up the leaderboard pretty quickly.”</p><p>The top 50 in the FLW’s Angler of the Year standings are invited to the annual event. McDonald ranks 46th after accruing 849 points through the six tournaments leading to the competition at Sturgeon Bay, located approximately 40 miles north of Green Bay.</p><p>McDonald’s other time qualifying for the FLW’s final event was seven years ago on the Red River in Shreveport, Louisiana. His father, David, passed away at the age of 77 the day before McDonald left, leaving the son with a heavy heart as he fished for largemouth bass.</p><p>“It’s hard to qualify. You have to have things go well, but you have to stay consistent,” McDonald said. “I’ve been in the top 100 in points four or five years in a row. I planned on going back. You have to stay positive, and I have to be content with what God gives me in everything I do.”</p><p>The TITLE event begins with four days of qualifying, with Group A fishing today and Wednesday and Group B (including McDonald) slated for Tuesday and Thursday. The top 10 from each group will part in the knockout round on Friday, with the weights from previous rounds zeroed out.</p><p>On Saturday, the 10 finalists take part in the championship round, where the weights are again zeroed and the highest weight total at the end of the day is crowned champion.</p><p>Not considered among the favorites to bring home the hefty payday based on FLW points, McDonald nonetheless looks forward to pushing himself against anglers, who, like him, are among the best of the best.</p><p>His FLW career includes four victories, 18 top-10 finishes and more than $365,000 in earnings.</p><p>Anything, McDonald knows, is possible.</p><p>“You don’t want to put the cart in front of the horse. There are two qualifying rounds to get to that final day,” McDonald said. “My goal is to fish on that final day and hopefully have an opportunity to win.”</p>
