MINNEAPOLIS (Aug. 23, 2006) - Tune in Sunday, Sept. 3, to "FLW Outdoors" on FSN for the conclusion of the 22nd annual Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League All-American presented by Chevy on the Connecticut River. Watch as co-hosts Charlie Evans and Keith Lebowitz take viewers through the final weigh-in and award the winning boater $140,000.
The one-hour show is the second of a two-part series covering the sport's most prestigious championship for weekend anglers. All-American qualifiers represent the best of more than 30,000 BFL participants nationwide. On-the-water cameras give viewers an intimate look at the 10 boaters who advanced to the final round of competition and competed for a career-changing top prize. The winner of the $1 million no-entry-fee championship was determined by the heaviest three-day weight.
The Sept. 3 program profiles boater Robert Walser of Lexington, N.C., who is one of the veterans in the top-10 field. Throughout the week, Walser has been bank fishing with a Weapon jighead and a homemade skirt around rocks, wood and other submerged structure. After two days of competition, he sits in second place with a total of 10 bass weighing 22 pounds, 15 ounces. This event was Walser's 31st top-10 appearance in FLW Outdoors competition and his third straight All-American. He qualified for the All-American by finishing the season ranked third in the North Carolina Division then finishing fifth at the Clarks Hill Regional in Georgia. When he is not chasing bass, Walser works as a plumber.
Another veteran in the top-10 field is Dennis Berhorst of Holts Summit, Mo. Competing in BFL events since 1997, Berhorst has 24 top-10 finishes and five victories to his name.
As chronicled in the Aug. 27 show, boater Mark Mauldin is one of three All-American qualifiers from the small town of Cleveland, Tenn. The Sept. 3 show takes a closer look at Mauldin, who is gunning to move up to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour in the very near future.
Additionally, 10 All-American qualifiers who did not advance to the final round were paired with 10 anglers representing the New England Paralyzed Veterans of America for a one-day memorial tournament on the Connecticut River. Taking first place in the memorial tournament was Larry Harris of Wilbraham, Mass., who was fishing with Michael McAtee of Waverly, Ky. The pair landed five bass weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces.
FSN also flashes back to 2005, when boater Wade Ramsey took the All-American crown on the Ohio River by more than 4 pounds.
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 show guide listing what events are coming up on "FLW Outdoors."
FSN reaches 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 over 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 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 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, 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.
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.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
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