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| Bay De Noc FLW Event Airs Oct 7th on FSN |
MINNEAPOLIS (Sept. 26, 2007) - Tune in Sunday, Oct. 7, to "FLW Outdoors" on FSN for complete coverage of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event held on Bays de Noc in Escanaba, Mich. The fourth and final qualifying tournament of the $2.71 million season, which included a full field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers, concludes with the winning pro claiming a cash prize of $100,000. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.
After three days of long runs and big waves, Linwood, Mich., pro Steve Vande Mark is the man to beat with a three-day total weight of 58 pounds even and a 7-pound lead heading into the final day of competition. While most competitors are making long runs south toward Green Bay, Vande Mark is steering his Ranger east toward Big Bay de Noc. He prefers Big Bay because it is somewhat protected from the wind, yet still holds the 7- and 8-pound pigs. Within Big Bay, Vande Mark is fishing an area 35 miles from Escanaba known as Garden Peninsula. Throughout the week, he has been catching his fish in 22 feet of water on crawler harnesses trolled at 1.1 to 1.3 mph. He's using bottom bouncers to present them on the bottom of the water column, and he is increasing his trolling speed as each day progresses. He prefers gold blades and chartreuse beads to give his presentation extra flash. Vande Mark is no stranger to walleye success. He won the 2005 Michigan Division Walleye League event on Saginaw Bay. But this is the Walleye Tour and a victory would mean $100,000. Not that he needs any extra incentive, but two weeks before the tournament Vande Mark and his fianc had a fire claim their home and most of their belongings. A tour-level win would be a heck of a way to begin rebuilding.
In second place is Bismarck, N.D., pro Troy Morris with a three-day total of 51 pounds, 1 ounce. Morris and his friend, BP pro Jason Przekurat, are the only two anglers who have caught a tournament limit of five walleyes each day. The two pros practice together and, not surprisingly, are sharing a stretch of water near Oconto, Wis. This area is full of hungry walleyes, but the problem is getting there. The trip is over 150 miles roundtrip from Escanaba.
While Morris is eyeing victory, Przekurat is shooting for his second Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year award. Coming into the final event of the season, the Stevens Points, Wis., native was in second place, four points behind leader Chris Gilman. In a typical year, the AOY race would have been decided much earlier, but this one will come down to the final day as two fierce competitors scratch and claw all the way to the end.
Also in contention is Beardsley, Minn., angler Kelly Klemm. This is the 22-year-old's first appearance in the top 10 as a professional. With a solid performance at Bays de Noc, it looks as though Klemm will be the youngest pro to ever qualify for the FLW Walleye Tour Championship.
FSN is the industry leader in providing the most up-to-date technology in TV production. FSN puts viewers in the boats with the pros, shadowing them from sunrise until the final weigh-in using innovative camera work that gives fishing fans the most intimate viewing experience available.
FSN broadcasts "FLW Outdoors" Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon ET. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes on "FLW Outdoors."
FSN is broadcast to more than 81 million homes through its network of 20 regional sports channels. Established in 1996, FSN is the only cable network that supplies national, regional and local sports programming. FSN serves as the cable TV home to 62 of the 82 MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States, and produces more than 4,500 live events each year. FSN has an extensive catalog of original national programs, including "Best Damn Sports Show Period" and "Beyond the Glory" documentary series, along with national packages of collegiate sports. Based in Los Angeles, FSN is part of the vast FOX Sports television family. For the latest up-to-the-minute sports news and opinions, visit the FOX Sports/FSN website at www.FoxSports.com .
"FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast internationally to more than 429 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 service men and women stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
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| Vandemark Walks Away with FLW BDN Title |
ESCANABA, Mich. - Pro Steve Vande Mark of Linwood, Mich., caught a four-day total of 15 walleyes weighing 76 pounds, 3 ounces to win the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event on Bays de Noc in Escanaba, Mich., the fourth and final regular-season event of the 2007 FLW Walleye Tour. Vande Mark took home $100,000 in prize money for his impressive week of fishing in tough conditions that were present on this fishery all week long.
"This is like a dream come true," said Vande Mark, who reveled today on the weigh-in stage that last week a fire had claimed his home and most of his belongings. "Life doesn't get any better than this. Last week was probably one of the lowest points in my life. Winning this and all of the money is great way to turn things around. This money is definitely going to go to good use.
"I wasn't really concerned about the weather that was present all week. I am actually fishing an area that is nearly land locked and very protected. My water temperature stayed consistent and this spot kept holding fish. I think the warm water was the key to my victory. We only had about three hours of fishing time with the water conditions to and from our spot. We caught four good sized walleyes and ended up culling two more over 23 inches and came back in.
"I have competed in many different tournament circuits and have one FLW Walleye League win under my belt but this is the ultimate win."
Vande Mark fished the Garden Peninsula area of Bays de Noc all week. Today, with the overcast conditions, he was trolling bottom bouncer rigs with spinners in the bottom part of the water column. He was targeting off-shore structure with grass in 20 to 25 feet of water. He credited most of his success to figuring out the right color blade and bead combinations to coax these finicky walleyes into biting.
Rounding out the top five pros are Kelly Klemm of Beardsley, Minn. (11 walleyes, 58 pounds, 10 ounces, $40,000); Troy Morris of Bismarck, N.D. (16 walleyes, 54 pounds, 1 ounce, $25,000); BP pro Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis. (16 walleyes, 52 pounds, 7 ounces, $18,000); and Pat Byle of Colgate, Wis. (11 walleyes, 52 pounds, 7 ounces, $13,000).
At the conclusion of Saturdays weigh-in, BP pro Jason Przekurat claimed the title of 2007 FLW Walleye Tour Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year for the second time in his career. The race is usually decided by now, but it came down to two fierce competitors who scratched and clawed all the way to the end, Przekurat and Chris Gillman of Chisago City, Minn.
"I wasn't worried about winning this tournament at all. I just wanted to win angler of the year," said Przekurat, who had his whole family on hand to see him be crowned. "The first one was great but getting the title a second time is much sweeter. It's ultimately every angler's goal at the begging of the season to win the angler of the year crown but it takes a lot of luck and great skill. I give all my success as a pro angler to the support that my family gives me. Without them I wouldn't be where I am today.
"This has been an unbelievable season. I got a tour win at Red Wing, Minn., crowned angler of the year and now all that's left is a championship win. My confidence is on a high right now and I think I could do it."
Not to mention, with the almost perfect season Przekurat has laid out this year, he has also made the top-10 cut in three of the four qualifying tournaments this season.
Trent McLaughlin of Hays, Kan., wins the co-angler title and $10,000 with 16 walleyes weighing 63 pounds, 10 ounces.
"Something must have been lucky with me," said McLaughlin who was lucky enough to draw the first, third and fourth place pros all during this event. "I tired to keep my expectations low but nothing could bring me down. This is the first time I have ever fished an FLW Outdoors event and I will remember this forever. It was awesome and I will be back to fish another one again someday."
Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight. Rounding out the top five co-anglers are John Hammond of New Berlin, Wis. (nine walleyes, 50 pounds, 5 ounces, $7,500); Jim Plummer of Fairborn, Ohio (12 walleyes, 47 pounds, 2 ounces, $7,000); Kevin Kerkvliet of Maplewood, Minn. (nine walleyes, 45 pounds, 4 ounces, $2,500); and Larry Booghier of Lakeview, Ohio (11 walleyes, 44 pounds, 3 ounces, $3,000).
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight.
Weights carry over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 150 points awarded to the winner, 149 to second, 148 for third, and so on. These points determine Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the 2007 FLW Walleye Tour Championship.
The FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with guaranteed cash awards for the entire field. A guaranteed cash award of $100,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $50,000 will go to the FLW Walleye Tour Championship winner for a total pro award of $150,000. The champion co-angler will win a guaranteed cash award of $11,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $11,000 for a total co-angler award of $22,000.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour event on Bays de Noc will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on Oct. 7 as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program. "FLW Outdoors" airs Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. Eastern. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Walmart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. |
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| VandeMark leads FLW Walleye Tour on Bay de Noc |
ESCANABA, Mich. - Pro Steve Vande Mark of Linwood, Minn., along with his partner, Scott Robak of Suamico, Wis., caught three walleyes weighing 17 pounds, 13 ounce to lead day two of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event presented by Evinrude on Bays de Noc in Escanaba, Mich. Vande Mark now has a two-day catch of eight walleyes weighing 36-8. He now holds a 2 pound, 13 ounce lead over the second place finisher going into the third day of competition.
With a $2.71 million total purse, including the no-entry-fee $675,850 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Erie at Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 27-30, and television coverage on FSN (Fox Sports Net), the FLW Walleye Tour is bigger and better than ever.
With a full field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers, anglers are competing for their share of a $509,300 purse, including as much as $100,000 for the winning pro and $18,000 for the winning co-angler.
"It was a little rough out there today but overall it was pretty good," said Vande Mark, who has one tournament win and amassed more than $40,000 in career earnings with FLW Outdoors. "Obviously, the bite is really tough right now with all the bug hatches and stuff. It seems like the fish were eating in 20 minute intervals and there was only two periods today when we caught fish. We went on about a three hour dry spell then, bang, we caught two nice fish in a matter of minutes. Yesterday, in this same area, we were catching all slot fish and today, it was all pigs.
"I'm going to go back to the area again tomorrow and just grind it out. If those slot fish come back in there, I'll be all set."
Rounding out the top five pros are BP pro Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis. (10 walleyes, 33 pounds, 11 ounces); Patrick Byle of Colgate, Wis. (eight walleyes, 33 pounds, 6 ounces); Troy Morris of Bismarck, N.D. (10 walleyes, 33 pounds, 5 ounces); and Chris Gilman of Chisago City, Min. (eight walleyes, 31 pounds, 9 ounces).
At the conclusion of Thursdays weigh-in, it left BP pro Jason Prezkurat and Chris Gilman, who are both in the top-five, tied for first in the Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year race. The next two days of competition will decide who will be crowned the 2007 Angler of the Year.
Trent McLaughlin of Hays, Kan., and Jim Fetzik of Pengilly, Minn., are tied for the lead in the co-angler division with a two-day weight weighing 29-1. "I'm really happy to be where I am," said Fetzik, who has one top-10 finish with FLW Outdoors. "We had a few problems this morning but we survived. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. I'd like to have a limit but I will be happy with what I get."
Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight. Rounding out the top five co-anglers are James Plummer of Fairborn, Ohio (seven walleyes, 27-4), John Hammond of New Berlin, Wis. (nine walleyes, 26-14) and Stephen Smithberger of Union, Ill. (five walleye, 26-13).
The Bays de Noc Visitors and Convention Bureau is hosting the event. Anglers launch daily at 7 a.m. from Escanaba Harbor located at Loren W. Jenkins Memorial Drive in Escanaba. Friday's weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 601 North Lincoln Road in Escanaba beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight.
Weights carry over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 150 points awarded to the winner, 149 to second, 148 for third, and so on. These points determine angler standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the 2007 FLW Walleye Tour Championship.
The FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with guaranteed cash awards for the entire field. A guaranteed cash award of $100,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $50,000 will go to the FLW Walleye Tour Championship winner for a total pro award of $150,000. The champion co-angler will win a guaranteed cash award of $11,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $11,000 for a total co-angler award of $22,000.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour event on Bays de Noc will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on Oct. 7 as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program. "FLW Outdoors" airs Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. Eastern. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Walmart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. |
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| Gilman leads FLW Walleye Tour on Bay de Noc |
ESCANABA, Mich. - Pro Chris Gilman of Chisago City, Minn., along with his partner, Dale Todd of Anderson, Ind., caught five walleyes weighing 20 pounds, 3 ounces to lead day one of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event presented by Evinrude on Bays de Noc in Escanaba, Mich., the final regular-season event of the 2007 FLW Walleye Tour. With a $2.71 million total purse, including the no-entry-fee $675,850 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Erie at Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 27-30, and television coverage on FSN (Fox Sports Net), the FLW Walleye Tour is bigger and better than ever.
With a full field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers, anglers are competing for their share of a $509,300 purse, including as much as $100,000 for the winning pro and $18,000 for the winning co-angler.
"Today was phenomenal," said Gilman, who is also currently leading the Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year race as well. "I just feel really fortunate to be where I am today. I don't even care where I place in this tournament. I just want to win Angler of the Year. To win Angler of the Year is nearly everyone's goal and a very tough thing to accomplish. Under normal circumstances, I would already have it wrapped up but Jason Przekurat just wont let up. I've got my fingers crossed and going to do a lot of praying over the next two days.
"I feel very comfortable with this open-water trolling pattern," he said. "I made a lengthy run this morning and found two good fish. I came back north and fished a few different areas and was able to scratch out enough slot fish to fill my limit. My plan for tomorrow is to just go do it all over again and hope for the best."
Gilman was trolling spinners with a number of different bead and blade color combinations on offshore structure.
Rounding out the top five pros are Paul DeVoss of Bagley, Wis. (three walleyes, 20 pounds, 1 ounce); Steve Vande Mark of Linwood, Mich. (five walleyes, 18 pounds, 11 ounces); Jason Kerr of Holly, Mich. (three walleyes, 18 pounds, 8 ounces); and Gregory Yarbrough of Port Clinton, Ohio (five walleyes, 18 pounds, 6 ounces).
Dale Todd of Anderson, Ind., leads the co-angler division. "I feel really fortunate to be paired with Chris Gilman as my day one partner," said Todd, who has two career top-10 finishes with FLW Outdoors. "I'm on the bubble right now to qualify for the championship and Chris really helped me out today. I think if I can maintain a good weight the rest of the week I should be able to break the top-50 and qualify for the championship."
Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight. Rounding out the top five co-anglers are David Musch of Minocqua, Wis., Dennis Buechel of Fond Du Lac, Wis., Phillip Milliser Jr. of Plymouth, Ind., and James Plummer of Fairborn, Ohio.
The Bays de Noc Convention and Visitors Bureau is hosting the event. Anglers launch daily at 7 a.m. from Escanaba Harbor located at Loren W. Jenkins Memorial Drive. Thursday and Friday's weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 601 North Lincoln Road in Escanaba beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight.
Weights carry over to day four, with the winner determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 150 points awarded to the winner, 149 to second, 148 for third, and so on. These points determine angler standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the 2007 FLW Walleye Tour Championship.
The FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with guaranteed cash awards for the entire field. A guaranteed cash award of $100,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $50,000 will go to the FLW Walleye Tour Championship winner for a total pro award of $150,000. The champion co-angler will win a guaranteed cash award of $11,000 plus potential sponsor bonuses totaling $11,000 for a total co-angler award of $22,000.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour event on Bays de Noc will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on Oct. 7 as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program. "FLW Outdoors" airs Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. Eastern. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Walmart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. |
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