| | $675,850 WAL-MART FLW WALLEYE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP SET FOR CLEVELAND
 World’s top walleye anglers to compete on Lake Erie.
CLEVELAND, Ohio (Sept. 4, 2007) — Lake Erie, one of the nation’s foremost walleye fisheries, will host the world’s top walleye anglers Sept. 27-30 during the $675,850 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship – the sport’s most lucrative event. The prestigious tournament featuring 106 competitors from 15 states and Canada will award as much as $150,000 cash to the winning professional and as much as $22,000 cash to the winning co-angler.
“This is going to be an interesting event,” said BP pro Jason Przekurat of Stevens Point, Wis., the tour’s 2007 Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year. “Just like any big water event, the weather will be the deciding factor. If it stays calm and we can fish, I would think 50 to 55 pounds to make the top-10 cut. Roughly 25 to 30 pounds a day should keep you in the hunt. If the weather gets rough, however, you can expect to see lower weights.”
According to Przekurat, trolling will be the primary tactic employed by anglers during the tournament.
“It will defiantly be a trolling bite but where and how a guy does it will be the key,” he said. “There is enough water to spread out the field and fish a number of ways. I know personally, I’m bringing nearly everything with me. You could be pulling crawler harnesses, spinners, spoons or even crankbaits. Finding where the fish are will be key.”
Voinovich Bicentennial Park, located at 800 E. Ninth St. in Cleveland, will host daily takeoffs at 7:30 a.m. Daily weigh-ins will be held at the Cleveland Convention Center, located at 500 Lakeside Ave. E., beginning at 4 p.m. The community is invited to attend takeoffs and weigh-ins as well as the Family Fun Zone, which opens at 2 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday and Sunday. Friday is Solar Bat Sunglasses day, where the first 100 children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone receive a free pair of Solar Bat Sunglasses similar to those that many of the pros wear. Saturday is free fishing rod day at the Fun Zone, where the first 200 children 14 and under receive a free fishing rod, and Sunday is free fishing reel day, where the first 200 children 14 and under receive a free fishing reel.
The winning pro at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship is guaranteed a cash award of $100,000. If the winner is a qualifying Ranger or G3 boat owner, he will earn a $25,000 bonus, and if the boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he will receive another $25,000 bonus for a total cash award of $150,000.
The winning co-angler is guaranteed $11,000 cash and is eligible for a $6,000 bonus from Ranger or G3 if he is a registered owner. The winning co-angler will also receive a $5,000 bonus from Evinrude or Yamaha if his boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard.
The Greater Cleveland Sport Fishing Commission is hosting the 2007 FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Erie. For more information, call (216) 780-1424.
Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes for two days and then is cut to the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers for day three. Anglers in both divisions start from zero on day three, and co-angler competition concludes with the winner determined by the day’s heaviest catch. Pros carry their weights over to day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.
Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship on Lake Erie will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on Dec. 2 as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “FLW Outdoors” airs Sunday mornings at 11 a.m. Eastern. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers 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, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, 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 of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
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 Walmart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. |
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