HOWARD, CHAFFINS WIN FIRST-EVER WAL-MART RCL WALLEYE LEAGUE EVENT

TRENTON, Mich. (April 14, 2003) ­ Boater Donald Howard of Davison and co-angler Estel Chaffins of River Rouge combined for a total of five fish weighing 29 pounds, 1 ounce to claim victory at the first-ever Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League event, held on the Detroit River near Trenton. Howard claimed $3,040 for the win, with Chaffin taking home $1,267 from the Michigan Division event.

Howard and Chaffin used custom-made jigs in white, green and orange colors to catch their winning walleyes. Wind presented a challenge to the competitors, and Howard and Chaffin found their walleyes on flats with rock and mud in 4 to 6 feet of water.

Finishing second were Michael Miller of Grosse Ile ($1,520) and Jeffrey Seyka of Milford ($760) with five walleyes weighing 25 pounds, 7 ounces. Thomas Ebi of Dearborn ($1,267) and Kurt Preibisch of St. Clair Shores ($633) caught five walleyes weighing 25 pounds to finish third. Alan Szoke of Grosse Ile ($1,013) and Mark Wolf of Westerville, Ohio ($507), claimed fourth place with five walleyes that weighed 24 pounds, 9 ounces. Finishing fifth were Stehane Nadeau of Windsor, Ontario ($811), and Brian Manasterski of St. Clair Shores ($405) thanks to a five-walleye catch that weighed 23 pounds, 8 ounces.

The Michigan Division’s next stop will be June 7 on Lake St. Clair followed by the final regular-season event, a two-day Super Tournament, Aug. 2-3 on Saginaw Bay. Boaters and co-anglers who finish in the top 25 in final points standings in each RCL Walleye League division will advance to the $88,000 RCL League Finals Sept. 6-7 on Lake Okoboji in Spirit Lake, Iowa. The winning boater at the finals will receive an Evinrude-or Yamaha-powered Ranger, Crestliner or Lund boat. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, and so on, except for Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 298 to second, and so on.

Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League boaters and co-anglers fish together for a combined boat weight, with boaters competing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing against other co-anglers. The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League meets the needs of America’s fishing masses by providing professionally administered, close-to-home, affordable events with lucrative cash purses.

The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League is administered by FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading marketer of competitive fishing. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails include the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, the world’s most lucrative walleye-fishing series; the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, the world’s most lucrative bass-fishing series; the EverStart Series, designed as a pathway to the FLW Tour; the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League for weekend anglers; and the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com.

For more information about the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com.