One-hour show covers third tournament of 2009 FLW Tour season
The third stop on the Walmart FLW Tour took place on Lake Norman in Charlotte, N.C. The bass were in the midst of the spawn and many anglers sight-fished, including winner Stetson Blaylock. The 21-year-old will go down in the archives of bass fishing as the youngest pro to ever claim victory. Complete coverage of the historic event will air May 31 from 12:30-1:30 p.m. ET on VERSUS as part of the weekly “FLW Outdoors” program.
Ten years ago, Blaylock was washing and waxing boats at the Walmart BFL All-American. As a teenager, he spent three nights a week fishing tournaments on lakes around central Arkansas. At 16, Blaylock began fishing the FLW Tour as a co-angler. Last season he won the Walmart Open and the FLW Tour Co-angler of the Year award. But his dream was to become a professional fisherman and to eventually win a tournament that boasts the toughest competition in the sport.
That dream became reality when Blaylock caught a final-round total of 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 15 ounces to win the National Guard Open and $200,000. The Berkley pro and his fianc? plan to use the money to build a home just outside Benton, Ark. The couple is scheduled to tie the knot Sept. 5, 2009.
In second place was Dayton, Tenn., pro Andy Morgan, who finished with a two-day total of 22-15. His consolation was $55,000. With that check, he surpassed $1 million in career earnings with FLW Outdoors. Morgan received back-to-back bites that would have won him the tournament had he converted on either one. The first came off as it swam towards the boat and created slack in the line. The second got hung in a bush.
Koby Kreiger of Okeechobee, Fla., took third with a two-day total of 21 pounds, 11 ounces. He earned $45,000, which, like Morgan, pushed him to over $1 million in career earnings. Like many others, the day-three leader hedged his bets on spawning largemouths. The difference is that Kreiger is perhaps the best sight-fisherman in the world.
VERSUS Country broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” in high-definition (HD) Sundays from 12:30-1:30 p.m. ET.
“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, call (270) 252-1000.
By: Jeff McCoy, PR dir, FLW Outdoors
