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FLW Outdoors announced its 2008 Wal-Mart FLW Series schedule with plans for return visits to some familiar waters as well as some new stops for the world’s top bass anglers fishing the circuit’s lucrative BP Eastern Division and National Guard Western Division.
Each division features four $1 million qualifying events that advance anglers to the East/West Fish-Off and ultimately to the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup for a shot at winning $1 million – the biggest award in professional bass fishing.
A top award of $125,000 is offered in the Pro Division at ever qualifier, and $10,000 cash awards extend through 50th place. Pros finishing as low as 75th place receive $2,000 cash, and pros finishing in 76th through 100th place receive a $100 gas card from BP at each qualifier in the Eastern Division and a $100 Wal-Mart gift card at each qualifier in the Western Division. Co-anglers fish for a top award of $25,000 cash in every qualifier and receive cash awards through 75th place.
Wal-Mart FLW Series competition in the BP Eastern Division kicks off Jan. 23-26 on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla., followed by a tournament on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., March 26-29. The division’s third stop will be held on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., Sept. 10-13 with the final qualifier taking anglers to Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Ga., Oct. 22-25.
Competition in the National Guard Western Division begins March 12-15 on the California Delta in Oakley, Calif., followed by a tournament on Lake Mead in Henderson, Nev., May 7-10. The division’s third stop will be held on the Columbia River in Tri-Cities, Wash., Sept. 17-20 with the final qualifier taking place on Lake Shasta in Redding, Calif., Oct. 8-11.
At the end of the season, the top 30 pros and top 30 co-anglers in each division’s Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year standings will be invited to the East/West Fish-Off at an undisclosed venue where the pros will fish head-to-head for three days to determine who will advance to the 2009 Forrest Wood Cup. At the Fish-Off, to be held Nov. 20-22, the No. 1 Eastern Division pro will face the No. 30 Western Division pro and the No. 1 Western Division pro will face the No. 30 Eastern Division pro, etc. The top 30 co-anglers based on accumulated weight at the Fish-Off and the winners of the head-to-head match-ups will proceed to the Forrest Wood Cup. The pro with the heaviest overall weight will earn $25,000, and the co-angler with the heaviest overall weight will earn $5,000.
The top 100 pros and top 100 co-anglers from each division of the 2008 FLW Series will receive priority entry into the 2009 FLW Series, and the top 30 pros and top 30 co-anglers from each division will receive priority entry into the 2009 FLW Tour.
Entry fees for 2008 are unchanged at $3,500 per qualifier for pros and $700 per qualifier for co-anglers.
Like FLW Tour events, every FLW Series event is broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the “FLW Outdoors” program airing Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. “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 Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program 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.
“The FLW Series was introduced in 2006 as a companion circuit to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, and we expanded to the Western United States in 2007,” said FLW Outdoors President and CEO Charlie Evans. “At every turn the FLW Series has been embraced by competitors, fans and sponsors alike, and I am pleased to say that the level of competition found on the FLW Series is second to none. We are looking forward to a fantastic 2008 season as the FLW Series and the FLW Tour continue to take professional bass fishing to new heights.”
FLW Series tournaments are four-day, cumulative weight events that begin on Wednesday and conclude on Saturday. Weigh-ins the first three days are held lakeside and the top 10 pros weigh in Saturday at Wal-Mart. Pros use their own boats on all four days of competition, and every tournament has a 12-day off-limits period prior to four practice days.
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. FLWOutdoors.com Warren King
2008 Wal-Mart FLW Series Schedule
BP Eastern Division
Date Lake/River City, State
Jan. 23-26 Lake Okeechobee Clewiston, Fla.
March 26-29 Wheeler Lake Decatur, Ala.
Sept. 10-13 Lake Champlain Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Oct. 22-25 Clarks Hill Lake Appling, Ga.
National Guard Western Division
Date Lake/River City, State
March 12-15 California Delta Oakley, Calif.
May 7-10 Lake Mead Henderson, Nev.
Sept. 17-20 Columbia River Tri-Cities, Wash.
Oct. 8-11 Lake Shasta Redding, Calif.
East/West Fish-Off
Date Lake/River City, State
Nov. 20-22 TBA TBA
2008 Wal-Mart FLW Series Payouts
$1 Million Qualifiers:
Ranger Ranger
Place Pro Bonus Co-angler Bonus
1 100000 25000 20000 5000
2 50000 10000
3 40000 9000
4 30000 8000
5 20000 7000
6 19000 6000
7 18000 5000
8 17000 4000
9 16000 3000
10 15000 2000
11-15 12500 1500
16-20 12000 1400
21-25 11500 1300
26-30 11000 1200
31-40 10500 1100
41-50 10000 1050
51-60 2500 1050
61-75 2000 800
76-100 100
Big Bass 500 Days 1, 2 & 3 300 Days 1, 2 & 3
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