MICHELS LEADS FINAL ROUND AT STREN SERIES EVENT ON LAKE SHASTA

REDDING, Calif. (March 31, 2006) – Local pro Jeff Michels of Lakehead, Calif., caught a five-bass limit weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces to lead round one of the Stren Series Western Division event on Lake Shasta. Pros are competing for as much as $64,500 in cash and prizes and co-anglers are competing for a top award of $35,000 in cash and prizes.

Michels, fishing in his first FLW Outdoors event, caught the heaviest one-day weight of the tournament. He finished the first round in 15th place, catching a two-day total of 21 pounds. Michels said he just could not get the big bite in the first round, but the weather made all the difference Friday. He got several big bites on day three, including a 6-pound spotted bass.

“We had heavy rain and high wind today,” Michels said, “and it pushed the fish up shallow and made them more aggressive. I just ran the points throwing big baits, and I’ll do the same thing tomorrow.”

Rounding out the top five pros are Dave Nollar of Redlands, Calif. (five bass, 18 pounds, 1 ounce); Mark Meddock of Woodland, Calif. (five bass, 17 pounds, 11 ounces); Gary Dobyns of Yuba City, Calif. (five bass, 13 pounds, 1 ounce); and Bill Townsend of Redding, Calif. (five bass, 12 pounds, 9 ounces).

Dan Powers of Weaverville, Calif., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces.

“The weather was the reason I caught more today,” Powers said. “I realized the fish weren’t relating to the bottom anymore, so I started fishing swimbaits other baits up near the surface.”

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Justin Lucas of Folsom, Calif. (five bass, 12 pounds, 5 ounces); Cliff Gregory of Quartz Hill, Calif. (five bass, 11 pounds, 11 ounces); John Rickicke of Phoenix, Ariz. (five bass, 8 pounds, 10 ounces); and Kirk Beardsley of Huntington Beach, Calif. (five bass, 8 pounds, 2 ounces).

Saturday’s weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 1515 Dana Drive in Redding beginning at 4 p.m. The weigh-in is free and open to the public.

Stren Series tournaments are four-day events consisting of three rounds. The entire field competes Wednesday and Thursday, and the top 20 pros and co-anglers – based on two-day accumulated weights – advance to day three. Anglers start at zero Thursday and compete for 10 spots in each division in the final round. Winners are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

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, 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 Stratos Owners Tournament Trail. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.7 million through 241 events in 2006.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

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 Wal-Mart.com.