CLINTON, Iowa (Aug. 16, 2006) ? The Great Lakes Division of the $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit the Mississippi River near Clinton, Iowa, Aug. 26 for the fourth of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $45,000 in cash, including as much as $6,000 to the Boater Division winner.
Albany Municipal Boat Ramp in Albany, Ill., will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.
If the winning boater is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will also receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if the boat used during competition is powered by Yamaha. Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha. Bombardier will award a $1,000 bonus to the winning boater if his or her boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude E-TEC or Direct Injection outboard.
The winning co-angler will earn as much as $3,000 cash. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.
For more information or to enter the tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com. Tournament entries will also be accepted on-site during registration Aug. 25 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the area Wal-Mart store located at 2715 S. 25th street in Clinton. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers. A $25 late fee also applies to entries taken on site along with a $25 membership fee for anglers who are not yet members of FLW Outdoors.
The top 40 boaters and co-anglers in each of the BFL?s 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee 2007 Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.
The winning boater and co-angler at the All-American will each advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 1-5, 2007. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing.
The top 40 Great Lakes Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Fort Madison Regional Championship near Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 5-7 and will compete against anglers from the Illini, Michigan and Ozark divisions for an All-American slot. These regional qualifiers also have the option to advance to the Stren Series in 2007.
Great Lakes Division anglers will next visit the Mississippi River in LaCrosse, Wis., Sept. 16-17 for their two-day Super Tournament, the division?s fifth and final event.
In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.
As the nation?s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour ? bass fishing?s most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg?s pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.
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, Stratos Owners? 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 Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 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.
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