One-hour show to cover final FLW Tour qualifying event
Tune in Sunday, August 26, to “FLW Outdoors”on FSN for complete coverage of the Chevy Open on the Detroit River in Detroit, Mich. The $1.5 million tournament awarded the winning bass pro a cash prize of $200,000.
The one-hour show is the first of a two-part series covering stop No. 6 on the $9.5 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour. The event, held on the Detroit River and the surrounding waters of Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair, is the final qualifying event of the season, meaning it is a make or break tournament for several anglers trying to reach the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Ouachita.
In addition to qualifying for the Forrest Wood Cup, a handful of anglers are competing for the coveted Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year award. The award, which rewards consistency, is given to the pro angler who accumulates the most points during the six qualifying events. Three anglers are still in prime position to capture AOY honors. Before the Chevy Open started, Jay Yelas held the lead with a total of 898 points over five events. Behind him is Shinichi Fukae, the 2004 AOY, with 872 points and Mark Davis with 860 points. Tune in to see the drama unfold as these three talented fishermen duke it out to the end. Along with the title, the winner earns $65,000, including a fully-equipped Ranger boat and $25,000 cash.
While the AOY race is tightly contested, one local Lake Erie angler is taking the tournament by storm. Although it’s his first FLW Tour event, pro Steve Clapper of Lima, Ohio, is no stranger to the hefty smallmouth bass that roam Lake Erie’s expansive floor. That knowledge is paying off big time as Clapper caught an opening-round total of 10 bass weighing 42 pounds, 14 ounces. The veteran Great Lakes angler is fishing waters 20 to 30 feet deep with Berkley Gulp on a drop-shot rig.
Also in contention is Wal-Mart angler Trevor Jancasz of White Pigeon, Mich. Jancasz, who considers Lake Erie his home lake, fishes the FLW Tour full time as a co-angler but switched to the Pro Division for the season finale. In this feature, FSN goes behind the scenes to learn more about his decision to try his hand as a professional.
Another local angler thriving in the Motor City is BFGoodrich Tires pro Kevin Long. The 2007 season has been Long’s best year on tour and he capped it off by making his first top-10 cutoff. But rather than prodding Lake Erie, the Berkley, Mich., native is fishing the calmer Lake St. Clair. The strategy is working, as Long caught a two-day total of 10 smallmouth bass weighing 36 pounds, 12 ounces.
In addition, Kellogg’s pro Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., participates in this edition of Fishing 101. Lefebre, who has earned over $775,000 in his FLW Outdoors career, gives viewers tips on how to prep a boat for running in rough water and how to maneuver in rolling seas.
FSN is the industry leader in providing the most up-to-date technology in TV production. FSN puts viewers in the boats with the pros, shadowing them from sunrise until the final weigh-in using innovative camera work that gives fishing fans the most intimate viewing experience available.
FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors”Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern time. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes on “FLW Outdoors.”
FSN is broadcast to more than 81 million homes through its network of 20 regional sports channels. Established in 1996, FSN is the only cable network that supplies national, regional and local sports programming. FSN serves as the cable TV home to 62 of the 82 MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States, and produces more than 4,500 live events each year. FSN has an extensive catalog of original national programs, including “Best Damn Sports Show Period”and “Beyond the Glory”documentary series, along with national packages of collegiate sports. Based in Los Angeles, FSN is part of the vast FOX Sports television family.
“FLW Outdoors”is also broadcast internationally to more than 429 million households in such countries as 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. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 service men and women 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 FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, call (270) 252-1000.
By: Dave Washburn, vp comm, FLW Outdoors
