MINNEAPOLIS (April 10, 2008) — Tune in Sunday, April 20 to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the big-fish parade from the California Delta in Bethel Island, Calif. The show, which concludes with the winning pro claiming a cash prize of $125,000, will highlight one of the greatest bass fisheries in the United States. The California Delta was stop No. 1 of four regular-season Wal-Mart FLW Series National Guard Western Division events.
A full field of 200 pros and 200 co-anglers competes for the first three days of FLW Series events. Co-angler winners are determined on day three by the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.
National Guard pro Brent Ehrler is on quite a roll lately. The Redlands, Calif., native has already qualified for the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup via his head-to-head victory over Art Ferguson at the FLW Series East-West Fish-Off. But he’s not content to rest on his laurels. After three days of heavy hitting on the Cal Delta, Ehrler leads the field with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 83 pounds, 11 ounces. Although anglers are fishing in a mostly freshwater environment, daily tidal fluctuations within San Francisco Bay cause delta waters to rise and fall. High water scatters the fish across prime shorelines, but when the outgoing cycle commences, the fish know that they must feed aggressively before low tide pulls them into deeper water. Ehrler is taking advantage of the strong afternoon bite, using crankbaits in 2 to 6 feet of water to catch his fish. A past Forrest Wood Cup and Stren Series Championship winner, Ehrler is honing in on yet another six-figure payday.
Hot on his heels is Coppertone pro Brett Hite, fresh off a victory at the season-opening Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on Lake Toho. Although California is far from Florida, Hite is using the same 3/8-ounce Phenix vibrating jig. Once again, he’s attempting to mimic a bluegill swimming through shallow grass. He’s presenting his bait over a long canal off the south Delta’s main waterway, making long drifts and meticulously picking apart the grass. With one more successful catch on day four, Hite could complete the unthinkable – back-to-back tour-level victories and back-to-back $125,000 paydays.
FSN also follows third-place pro Louis Fernandes. With a three-day total weight of 72 pounds, 10 ounces, the Santa Maria, Calif., resident is in contention for his first FLW Outdoors victory. While most of the other finalists are focusing on grass, Fernandes is catching his best fish jigging over a rock pile.
FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sunday mornings. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area.
FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes on “FLW Outdoors.”
FSN is broadcast to 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 more than 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 429 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.
Tournament anglers 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.
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.
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