MICHIGAN ANGLERS TO COMPETE IN $650,000 WAL-MART FLW WALLEYE
TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP MOLINE, Ill. (Aug. 18, 2005) -
Five walleye anglers from Michigan will descend upon the Mississippi
River Sept. 28-Oct. 1 to compete in the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye
Tour Championship, the most lucrative walleye tournament in
the world. The event, hosted in the Quad Cities, caps the $2.6
million 2005 FLW Walleye Tour season. As much as $125,000 cash
will go to the winning pro, and as much as $22,000 cash will
go to the winning co-angler. Dan Lindner of Jenison, Mich.,
will compete in the Pro Division as part of the field of 50
anglers who comprise the best walleye fishermen in the world.
Bert Blain of Hopkins, Mich., Dave Crawford of Maybee, Mich.,
Matthew Hiller of Ada, Mich., and Scott Koenigsfeld of Three
Rivers, Mich., will compete among the field of 50 co-anglers.
The winning pro at the FLW Walleye Tour Championship is guaranteed
a cash award of $75,000. If the winner is a registered owner
of a Ranger boat, he will earn a $25,000 bonus, and if his boat
is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard, he
will receive another $25,000 for a total cash award of $125,000.
The winning co-angler is guaranteed $11,000 cash and is eligible
for a $6,000 bonus from Ranger if he is a registered owner.
The winning co-angler will also receive a $5,000 bonus if his
boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude or Yamaha outboard
for a total cash award of $22,000. 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 during the two-day opening round for
one of 10 final-round slots based on their two-day accumulated
weight. Weights are cleared for the final round, with the winning
pro determined by the heaviest two-day total weight from days
three and four. The co-angler winner is determined on day three
based on the weight of that day's catch. Television coverage
of the FLW Walleye Tour Championship will be provided by FSN
(Fox Sports Net). Check local listings for times and availability.
Sunset Park on 18th Ave. in Rock Island will host daily 7 a.m.
takeoffs throughout the event. Daily weigh-ins will be held
at the Wal-Mart store located at 3930 44th Ave. in Moline beginning
at 5 p.m. The community is invited to attend takeoffs and weigh-ins
as well as the Family Fun Zone, which opens at 3 p.m. Friday
and 1 p.m. Saturday outside the weigh-in tent at Wal-Mart. The
Family Fun Zone features interactive displays, product samples
and games for the entire family. All activities are absolutely
free. Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest
L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour
and eight other national tournament circuits offering more than
$30 million in purses through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old
organization is the purveyor of America's largest and most prestigious
fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart
Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament
Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League,
Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and
Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. For more information on Wal-Mart
FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com
or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about the Quad
Cities, go to Visitquadcities.com
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