MINNEAPOLIS (June 10, 2009) — The fourth stop on the Walmart FLW Tour took place on Beaver Lake in Rogers, Ark. For over a decade, the northwest Arkansas impoundment has hosted the annual Walmart Open presented by Kellogg’s. And each time the tournament comes to town the bass fishing is slightly different. This year, pro winner Ray Scheide fished flooded, matted debris and came away with a first-place cash award of $200,000. Complete coverage of the event will air June 14 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. ET on VERSUS as part of the weekly “FLW Outdoors” program.
Scheide, the Dover, Ark., native, flew under the radar the first two days of the event, posting a limit weighing 11 pounds, 7 ounces on Day One for 13th place and a limit weighing 10-9 on Day Two to qualify for the final round in seventh place. For most of the week, the BP pro used a Berkley Chigger Craw in watermelon-candy color on a 1/2-ounce weight to punch the debris mats. On the final day, Scheide focused his efforts on large flooded green trees that provided a big canopy of shade. His Day Four limit of 12 pounds, 4 ounces included a solid 4-pounder, which sealed the victory. His two-day total weight registered 21 pounds, 1 ounce. This was Scheide’s second FLW Tour win. His first came in 2004 at Lake Okeechobee.
In second place was Marion, Ark., pro Mark Rose, who finished with a two-day total of 19-13. This was Rose’s second runner-up finish at the Walmart Open, the first coming in 2006. His consolation was $55,000. Each day of the event, Rose had a starting spot that allowed him to get a quick 8-pound limit on a wakebait. Then he could comfortably go hunt a kicker fish by pitching a Strike King Rodent to flooded cover.
Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas, took third with a final-round total of 19-12, worth $45,000. The two-time Walmart Open champion (1999, 2001) located an on-again, off-again feeding table for largemouths up the lake that produced most of his weight. Focusing on a shad spawn, he fished the same spot all four days, but days one and three it produced only tiny fish, while on days two and four it produced the two biggest limits weighed in the tournament.
VERSUS Country broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” in high-definition (HD) Sundays from 12:30-1:30 p.m. ET. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes of “FLW Outdoors.” In addition, each episode of “FLW Outdoors” will be available on demand in its entirety on FLWOutdoors.com.
“FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, 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.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.
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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