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| Swanstrom Edges Smith to Win 100K on Erie |
PORT CLINTON, Ohio (April 19, 2008) � Pro John Swanstrom of Superior, Wis., caught five walleyes weighing 21 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win $100,000 in the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour season opener presented by Yamaha on Lake Erie in Port Clinton, Ohio, with a four-day total of 20 walleyes weighing 143-07.
�I�m going to put the $100,000 away and go on some fishing trips,� said Swanstrom, who is making a name for himself on the Walleye Tour in his first FLW tournament. �The biggest thing is fishing against all these guys that do it for a living. To be able to come out on a body of water that isn�t your home water and pull off a win is the best feeling in the world.�
Swanstrom�s four-day total weight ranks fourth on the all-time heaviest total tournament weight in a Walleye Tour event in the FLW Outdoors record books.
�I woke up this morning knowing that I couldn�t expect to have more weight than I did yesterday, but I really felt that if I had 25 pounds that I could wrap it up,� Swanstrom added. �Luckily, the fish I scratched up today was enough to win.�
Swanstrom explained that the major differences in the fishing today were the water clarity and boat traffic on Lake Erie.
�It was difficult to get to my spots with so many boats on the water. The boat traffic really picked up today,� Swanstrom said. �It was a totally different day of fishing for me.
�With an hour left to go we upgraded our last fish a 3-pounder to a 5-pounder on our third spot.�
Swanstrom trolled crankbaits and spinners at speeds of .8 to 1 mph to catch his fish. His crankbait of choice was a 700 Series Lights Out Reef Runner. He caught most of his bigger fish on cranks but caught all his fish on spinners the final day of competition. His primary area was located northwest of North Bass Island.
Swanstrom opened the tournament Wednesday in 12th place with five walleyes weighing 34 pounds, 14 ounces. He jumped to first place Thursday with five walleyes weighing 41-05 that boosted his two-day total to 10 walleyes weighing 76-03. On Friday, Swanstrom caught five walleyes weighing 45-13 to advance to the final day of competition in first place with a three-day total of 15 walleyes weighing 122-00.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were Larry Smith of Berlin, Wis. (20 walleyes, 142-13, $27,500); Erik Furseth of East Lansing, Mich. (20 walleyes, 138-15, $25,000); Bob Henton of Spartansburg, Pa. (19 walleyes, 137-03, $15,000); Rick Franklin of Bemidji, Minn. (18 walleyes, 136-07, $8,000); Dan Stier of Clearwater, Minn. (20 walleyes, 133-15, $10,000); Chad Schilling of Akaska, S.D. (20 walleyes, 133-14, $9,000); David Frey of Avon Lake, Ohio (20 walleyes, 131-03, $5,000); Kevin Michnicki of Cleveland, Ohio (19 walleyes, 129-04, $5,500) and Pete Harsh of Sauk Centre, Minn. (18 walleyes, 121-12, $5,000).
John Kopcok of Bellriver, Ontario, won the Co-angler Division and $10,000 with a four-day total catch of 20 walleyes weighing 145 pounds followed by Ike Rhodes of Harrogate, Tenn., in second place with 20 walleyes weighing 139-01 worth $5,000.
Kopcok opened the tournament in seventh place Wednesday with five walleyes weighing 37-11 while fishing with pro Nate Provost of Green Bay, Wis. On Thursday he fell to eighth place thanks to a five-walleye catch weighing 24-06 while fishing with Kevin Larkins of Greenwood, Neb., that bumped his two-day total to 10 walleyes weighing 62-01. Friday he caught five walleyes weighing 44-00 while fishing with Mark Schuitema of Jenison, Mich., to advance to the final day of competition in second place with a three-day total of five walleyes weighing 106-01. He wrapped up his win Saturday with a five-walleye catch weighing 38-15 while fishing with Smith.
�I felt like I had a good chance to win,� said Kopcok, who also fishes the FLW Tour and Stren Series as a co-angler. �Lake Erie is pretty much my home waters and going into today I had a good feeling. Starting out today I was 6 pounds behind but I was confident that I could come back to take it all.
�I had a lot of great pros this week that taught me a lot. They are all top-notch and without them I wouldn�t have won.�
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were Ike Rhodes of Harrogate, Tenn. (20 walleyes, 139-01, $5,000); Jason Copeland of Olathe, Kan. (20 walleyes, 133-02, $3,000); Larry Behsman of Elysian, Minn. (17 walleyes, 132-10, $2,500); Randy Seidl of Appleton, Wis. (20 walleyes, 131-07, $4,250); Bruce Frevert of Centerville, Iowa (19 walleyes, 129-13, $2,000); Kenny Henexson of Thornton, Colo. (20 walleyes, 129-03, $1,750); Nate Brunz of Madison Lake, Minn. (19 walleyes, 126-04, $1,500); Jeff Sather of Montevideo, Minn. (20 walleyes, 123-14, $1,250) and Marty Barski of Crystal Lake, Ill. (17 walleyes, 121-14, $2,000).
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 winners determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
In addition to cash awards, anglers were competing for valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the $650,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship � the sport�s richest event � in Bismarck, N.D., Sept. 24-27. The top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers in the Land O�Lakes Angler of the Year points standings will advance to the Championship, where they will compete for top awards of $150,000 and $20,000, respectively.
Tournament pros aren�t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing�, FLW Outdoors� offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player�s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour� stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player�s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player�s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour stop on Lake Erie will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on June 1 as part of the �FLW Outdoors� television program. �FLW Outdoors� is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.
Overall there were 49 walleyes weighing 320 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 10 boats Saturday. The catch included nine five-walleye limits.
The next FLW Walleye Tour stop will be held on Lake Sharpe in Pierre, S.D., May 7-10. Cass Lake in Cass Lake, Minn., will host the third regular-season event June 11-14 followed by the final event at Bays de Noc in Escanaba, Mich., July 23-26.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player�s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.
Awards are based on a full field of 150 boats in every tournament. |
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| Swanstrom On Top Heading into Lake Erie Finals |
PORT CLINTON, Ohio (April 18, 2008) � Pro John Swanstrom of Superior, Wis., caught five walleyes weighing 45 pounds, 13 ounces Friday to retain the lead in the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour season opener presented by Yamaha on Lake Erie in Port Clinton, Ohio, with a three-day total of 15 walleyes weighing a record breaking 122-00.
Swanstrom now holds a 18-pound, 2-ounce lead heading into the final day of competition in the nationally televised tournament that features 300 competitors from 26 states fishing for top awards of $100,000 in the Pro Division and $20,000 in the Co-angler Division.
�This is an unbelievable feeling,� said Swanstrom, who is a rookie on the Walleye Tour. �Everything is happening just right. I can�t explain what I am feeling right now.�
In just three days of competition Swanstrom�s catch of 122-00 surpassed the largest four-day total weight in an FLW Walleye Tour event that was previously set by Patrick Neu of Forestville, Wis. Neu�s weight of 111-08 was recorded in Green Bay, Wis., in 2005.
�The best bites came in the afternoon on our secondary spot. We had our best five fish in the boat in an hour and a half,� Swanstrom added. �Today, I didn�t weigh in a fish that was less than 8 pounds.
�The bigger fish are defiantly coming off cranks. We started catching them really good so I didn�t see the need to change tactics.�
Swanstrom explained that he has been real consistent with the trolling speed and that it hasn�t played a factor in this tournament. He is fishing half way between Port Clinton and the Canadian border.
Rounding out the top 10 pros advancing to the final round are Larry Stephen Smith of Berlin, Wis. (15 walleyes, 103-14); Erik Furseth of East Lansing, Mich. (15 walleyes, 102-07); Chad Schilling of Akaska, S.D. (15 walleyes, 101-09); David Frey of Avon Lake, Ohio (15 walleyes, 101-09); Rick Franklin of Bemidji, Minn. (15 walleyes, 101-02); Kevin Michnicki of Cleveland, Ohio (15 walleyes, 100-00); Robert Henton of Sparatansburg, Pa. (15 walleyes, 99-11); Dan Stier of Clearwater, Minn. (15 walleyes, 98-04) and Pete Harsh of Sauk Centre, Minn. (15 walleyes, 98-02).
Jason Copeland of Wellsville, Kan., leads the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of 15 walleyes weighing 111 pounds, 11 ounces. He caught five walleyes weighing 39-02 Wednesday while fishing with Schilling then added another five walleyes weighing 34-00 Thursday while fishing with Tom Gatzke of Merrill, Wis. On Friday he maintained his lead with five walleyes weighing 38-09 while fishing with David Kraft of Bismarck, N.D.
�I have slept on the boat each day of the tournament and it has worked,� Copeland said. �When the fish aren�t biting and the fishing is slow, I sleep until I need to help reel. It has got me this far. I don�t see the need in changing anything.�
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers advancing to the final round are John Kopcok of Bellriver, Ontario (15 walleyes, 106-01); Ike Rhodes of Harrogate, Tenn. (15 walleyes, 102-09); Larry Behsman of Elysian, Minn. (15 walleyes, 100-05); Kenny Henexson of Thornton, Colo. (15 walleyes, 99-09); Randy Seidl of Appleton, Wis. (15 walleyes, 96-02); Jeff Sather of Montevideo, Minn. (15 walleyes, 94-10); Bruce Frevert of Centerville, Iowa (15 walleyes, 92-05); Nate Brunz of Madison Lake, Minn. (15 walleyes, 90-09) and Marty Barski of Crystal Lake, Ill. (15 walleyes, 89-04).
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 winners determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
Nor Easter Club in Port Clinton will host takeoff Saturday morning at 6:30. Saturday�s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2826 E. Harbor Road in Port Clinton beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.
In addition to cash awards, anglers are competing for valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the $650,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship � the sport�s richest event � in Bismarck, N.D., Sept. 24-27. The top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers in the Land O�Lakes Angler of the Year points standings will advance to the Championship, where they will compete for top awards of $150,000 and $20,000, respectively.
Tournament pros aren�t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing�, FLW Outdoors� offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player�s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour� stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player�s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player�s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour stop on Lake Erie will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on June 1 as part of the �FLW Outdoors� television program. �FLW Outdoors� is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.
Overall there were 646 walleyes weighing 4,041 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 148 boats Friday. The catch included 106 five-walleye limits.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player�s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.
Awards are based on a full field of 150 boats in every tournament. |
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| Swanstrom On Top at Lake Erie FLW |
 |  |  | Swanstrom weighed 40+ to take the lead |
PORT CLINTON, Ohio (April 17, 2008) - Pro John Swanstrom of Superior, Wis., caught five walleyes weighing 41 pounds, 5 ounces Thursday to take the lead in the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour season opener presented by Yamaha on Lake Erie in Port Clinton, Ohio, with a two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing 76-03.
Swanstrom now holds a 1-pound lead heading into the third day of competition in the nationally televised tournament that features 300 competitors from 26 states fishing for top awards of $100,000 in the Pro Division and $20,000 in the Co-angler Division.
"The bite was about the same as it was yesterday," said Swanstrom, who is fishing in his first FLW Walleye Tour event. "I was able to sort through some fish and find some bigger fish today. Everything has been real consistent, with a good morning bite each day."
Swanstrom remained tight-lipped about the exact technique he used to land his solid stringer, but did say that both he and his co-angler, Paul Huckno of Union City, Pa., caught around 10 fish trolling today from their primary spot early this morning.
"I am catching my fish on a little bit of everything but cranks have been hot," Swanstrom added. "I don't have a particular pattern just doing what I need to catch fish.
"Being in first place is great but I would rather come from behind to make the cut then be in first right now. The bite has been good the last two days but that might not be the case tomorrow."
|  | | Second Place Chris Gilman (r) and co-angler on Day Two |
Rounding out the top five pros are pro Chris Gilman of Chisago City, Minn. (10 walleyes, 75-03); Larry Stephen Smith of Berlin, Wis. (10 walleyes, 72-09); Scott Allar of Welch, Minn. (10 walleyes, 69-14); and Tom Brunz of Madison Lake, Minn. (10 walleyes, 67-07).
Jason Copeland of Wellsville, Kan., leads the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 10 walleyes weighing 73 pounds, 2 ounces. He caught five walleyes weighing 39-02 Wednesday while fishing with Chad Schilling of Akaska, S.D., then added another five walleyes weighing 34-00 Thursday while fishing with Tom Gatzke of Merrill, Wis.
"I had another great partner today," said Copeland, who is fishing in his first walleye tournament. "On the co-angler side it really is luck of the draw and I have had great luck the first two days of competition. Tom had us on some good fish and everything worked out well today.
"Hopefully, tomorrow I will get enough weight to make the cut. You never know what will happen."
Pros and co-anglers fish for a combined boat weight. Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jeff Sather of Montevideo, Minn. (10 walleyes, 70-03), Randy Seidl of Appleton, Wis. (10 walleyes, 68-06); Kenny Henexson of Thornton, Colo. (10 walleyes, 65-00) and Paul Huckno of Union City, Pa. (10 walleyes, 64-15).
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 winners determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
|  | | Toyota Pro Pat Neu got in on the big fish bash on Day Two |
Nor Easter Club in Port Clinton will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7. Friday's weigh-in will be held at Water Works Park in Port Clinton beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2826 E. Harbor Road in Port Clinton beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.
In addition to cash awards, anglers are competing for valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the $650,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship - the sport's richest event - in Bismarck, N.D., Sept. 24-27. The top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers in the Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year points standings will advance to the Championship, where they will compete for top awards of $150,000 and $20,000, respectively.
Tournament pros aren't the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing�, FLW Outdoors� offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player's Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour� stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player's Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player's Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour stop on Lake Erie will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on June 1 as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.
Overall there were 542 walleyes weighing 3,192 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 142 boats Thursday. The catch included 64 five-walleye limits.
Awards are based on a full field of 150 boats in every tournament. |
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| Kuzdzal Nets 40+ to Lead FLW on Lake Erie |
|  | | Verdura and Kuzdzal on Day One |
PORT CLINTON, Ohio (April 16, 2008) - Pro Mike Kuzdzal of Cincinnati, Ohio, and co-angler Phillip Verdura of West Bloomfield, Mich., caught five walleyes weighing 41 pounds, 8 ounces to lead day one of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour season opener presented by Yamaha on Lake Erie in Port Clinton, Ohio. The pair now holds a slim 6-ounce lead over their closest rivals in the nationally televised tournament that features 300 competitors from 26 states fishing for top awards of $100,000 in the Pro Division and $20,000 in the Co-angler Division.
Several impressive walleyes came to the scales despite the conditions. Anglers faced winds out of the south gusting at 18-23 mph but proved once again that Lake Erie was still one of the best walleye fisheries in the nation.
"We were culling 7-pound fish by noon," Kuzdzal said. "We decided to leave our primary spot around 11:30 a.m. and troll back about 14 miles. It was so windy we decided to have an easy ride back in. It was unbelievable. We even picked up three upgrades on the way back.
"Today we caught around 15 fish with nothing less than 5 pounds. We knew we would have a good bag with fish like that."
Kuzdzal and Verdura were trolling a combination of crankbaits and spinnerbaits on Lake Erie.
"During practice the size of fish was about the same but I couldn't get the number of fish," Kuzdzal added. "This wasn't even my primary spot after practice. I wanted to see what the water clarity was today and it ended up being clear enough to fish, so we stopped there.
"Hopefully, tomorrow the outcome will be the same.You never know what will happen in a tournament with all the factors that come into play."
Rounding out the top five pros and co-anglers are David Frey of Avon Lake, Ohio and Field Olson of Minnetonka, Minn. (five walleyes, 41-02); Kevin Michnicki of Cleveland, Ohio and Bjorn Horgen of Deer River, Minn. (five walleyes, 40-04); Chad Schilling of Akaska, S.D. and Jason Copeland of Wellsville, Kan. (five walleyes, 39-02); and Dan Stier of Clearwater, Minn. and James Woods of Sheffield Lake, Ohio (five walleyes, 38-05).
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 winners determined by the heaviest four-day weight.
"It was a rough day but it was a good one," said Verdura, who is fishing in only his second FLW tournament. "It was all about working as a team today. We really had to count on each other because the wind was blowing so hard.
"I look forward to fishing with a new partner tomorrow," Verdura added. "Hopefully, we will be on the same size fish as I was with Mike today."
Nor Easter Club in Port Clinton will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7. Thursday and Friday's weigh-ins will be held at Water Works Park in Port Clinton beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday's final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2826 E. Harbor Road in Port Clinton beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.
|  | | Lynn Jurrens with a big walleye on Day One |
In addition to cash awards, anglers are competing for valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the $650,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship - the sport's richest event - in Bismarck, N.D., Sept. 24-27. The top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers in the Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year points standings will advance to the Championship, where they will compete for top awards of $150,000 and $20,000, respectively.
Overall there were 479 walleyes weighing 2,658 pounds, 1 ounce caught by 137 boats Wednesday. The catch included 52 five-walleye limits.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player's Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.
Awards are based on a full field of 150 boats in every tournament.
Big Walleye Video from Day One |
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| FLW Walleye Tour to Visit Lake Erie |
PORT CLINTON, Ohio (March 27, 2008) � The lucrative $2.49 million 2008 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour will hold its first of four qualifying events on Lake Erie in Port Clinton, Ohio, April 16-19. The $461,500 tournament presented by Yamaha and hosted by the Ottawa County Visitors Bureau will feature 300 anglers from 26 states and national television coverage on FSN (Fox Sports Net).
Pros will compete for a top award of $100,000 and co-anglers will compete for as much as $20,000.
�I love starting the season out at Lake Erie. It�s in my backyard, and it�s the best walleye fishery in the world,� said pro Gregory Yarbrough of Port Clinton, Ohio, who has been fishing the FLW Walleye Tour since its inaugural season in 2000. �Everyone is going to catch a lot of fish, and it is going to take some big weights to be able to win this event.
�We had a very late winter this year, and it seems that everything is behind schedule. Right now there is still ice on the lake,� Yarbrough said. �It�s going to take a few days of warmer weather and some strong south winds to get the ice blown out. We should be in pretty good shape when the tournament rolls around.�
Yarbrough predicts that anglers will be bringing in some nice five-fish limits and that it is going to take substantial weight to pull off a victory. In fact, he estimates it will take at least 33 pounds a day to make the top-10 cut to the final day of competition.
�A lot of anglers will use a slow presentation because it was a late winter and the water temperatures are going to take a little longer to warm up,� Yarbrough said.
As for his baits of choice, Yarbrough will most likely use Dave�s Ka Boom Nitro Shiners, Smithwick Rattlin� Rogues, Reef Runner Rip Sticks and Rapala Down Deep Husky Jerks.
�If we still have cold conditions, by some odd chance, anglers will have to resort to real slow presentations and jigging near the reefs and shoreline to try and pick up active fish,� Yarbrough said. �If the weather heats up like it should, we will be able to pull a lot of larger fish using trolling tactics.�
Nor Easter Club in Port Clinton will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday�s weigh-ins will be held at Water Works Park in Port Clinton beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday�s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2826 E. Harbor Road in Port Clinton beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.
�I feel confident going into any Lake Erie tournament, but sometimes you do well and sometimes you get humble. I am very excited that FLW chose to come back to Port Clinton,� Yarbrough said. �It�s also a great time for anglers to get out and catch a pile of fish during practice plus during the tournament. I think it will make for a great event.�
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 winners 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 in the standings will advance to the $650,000 FLW Walleye Tour Championship in Bismarck, N.D., Sept. 24-27 for a shot at top awards of $150,000 and $20,000, respectively. The prestigious championship, hosted by the Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau, will also feature boater and co-angler points champions from each of four Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League divisions. The no-entry-fee FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with cash awards for the entire field.
Tournament pros aren�t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing�, FLW Outdoors� offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player�s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour� stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player�s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player�s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour stop on Lake Erie will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on June 1 as part of the �FLW Outdoors� television program. �FLW Outdoors� is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.
Following the Lake Erie tournament, the FLW Walleye Tour will visit Lake Sharpe in Pierre, S.D., May 7-10. Cass Lake in Cass Lake, Minn., will host the third regular-season event June 11-14 followed by the final event at Bays de Noc in Escanaba, Mich., July 23-26.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player�s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.
Awards are based on a full field of 150 boats in every tournament. |
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