FLW Outdoors has announced it will bring the “Super Bowl of Fishing” the Forrest Wood Cup, presented by Wal-Mart, to Lake Murray Country on August 14-17, 2014, giving the Capital City/Lake Murray Country region the largest bass-fishing championship in the nation next year.

“The Forrest Wood Cup certainly aligns with SC’s campaign strategy of promoting undiscovered SC, while also featuring one our state parks,” states Duane Parrish, Director of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism.  The event is expected to draw thousands of bass fishing fans to the region and provide a significant boost to the state’s economy.  In 2008, the Forrest Wood Cup was held on Lake Murray and had an economic impact on the region of $16 million in new tourism revenues.  The added advertising and marketing values combined presented an overall economic impact of $46.5 million.  

The Forrest Wood Cup features the world’s best anglers competing for the sport’s largest awards and the industry’s premier outdoor expo. The expo will be housed in the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center; the daily weigh-ins will be held at the Colonial Life Arena.  Seven other area venues will house the event including Dreher Island State Park in Newberry County, the Harbison and St. Andrews areas of the region, and many hotels in the downtown Columbia area.  

“The Capital City/Lake Murray Country RTB is excited about hosting the 2014 Forrest Wood Cup and the impact it will have on the region.  Once again, our local attractions, restaurants and hotels will reap the benefits of this national event and the added national and international publicity for Columbia and Lake Murray will set records,” says Miriam Atria, President/CEO, Capital City/Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism. 

Hundreds of exhibits, national sponsors and boat displays will fill the expo along with interactive displays made especially for children. More than $100,000 in fishing gear and sponsor samples will be given away to visitors during this FREE-admission event that is promoted through a yearlong effort that intensifies in the weeks leading up to the show, which is sure to attract tens of thousands of fishing enthusiasts who are eager to buy the latest gear. The first place payout of $500,000 will be awarded live on on-stage along with thousands of additional prizes to the nation’s top bass professionals and co-anglers.   

National television coverage will air on the NBC Sports Network and WFN as part of the “FLW” show, which is also broadcast internationally to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, Canada, and the Middle East. 

Capital City/Lake Murray Country is one of the state’s eleven tourism regions within The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism (PRT), promoting tourism in Lexington, Newberry, Richland and Saluda Counties. The Visitors Center is located on Highway 6, 2184 North Lake Drive in Columbia. For more information, visit LakeMurrayCountry.com or call (803) 781-5940.