Pro winner to claim $125,000 first-place check
Tune in Sunday, Aug. 17, to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the conclusion of the $1 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour event on the Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes in Knoxville, Tenn. Watch as FSN takes viewers through the final weigh-in and awards the winning pro angler $125,000. The one-hour show is the second of a two-part series covering the fifth tournament of the $9.5 million FLW Tour season.
Leading after three days of competition is pro Art Ferguson III of St. Clair Shores, Mich. Capitalizing on a hot ledge bite he discovered on day two, Ferguson caught a five-bass limit on day three weighing 19 pounds, 2 ounces. Actually, it was Ferguson’s co-angler, Grant Holderman of Kansas, who helped him uncover what is turning into a mother lode of tournament-winning fish. Late in the afternoon on day two, Ferguson was struggling with just three keepers in his livewell and was about to pull up the stakes on an area he had been fishing when Holderman made a long-distance cast that has changed Ferguson’s week. That cast resulted in a 14-inch keeper for Holderman. But while he was unhooking the fish, Ferguson made a long cast back in the same direction. He too caught a keeper bass – and then another and then another until he culled up to 18 pounds, 11 ounces. To catch his fish off the newly-acquired honeyhole, Ferguson is using a 5/8-ounce football-head jig that he bought at Hook, Line and Sinker in Rogers, Ark., – home of the annual Wal-Mart Open. With one day of competition remaining, Ferguson will look to secure his first FLW Tour win with the aid of nearly a 5-pound lead.
In second place with 14 pounds, 9 ounces is Castrol pro David Dudley. For the first time all week, Dudley failed to secure a limit from his primary area – a boulder ledge on the upper end of Fort Loudoun Lake. Dudley is a closer – he is the FLW Outdoors all-time leading money winner with just over $2 million – and he earned most of that by closing when it counts the most. Even with a big hill to climb, the Lynchburg, Va., native thinks he can get the job done on day four.
In third place is National Guard pro and day-one leader Scott Martin. During the two-day opening round, Martin bounced back and forth between shallow and deep water. On day three, his shallow bite died and he was forced to go deep. Targeting shell mounds in 14 feet of water, the Clewiston, Fla., angler is throwing a deep-diving crankbait and a football-head jig. On day three, he caught only brown bass – some smallmouth, some meanmouth for 13 pounds, 10 ounces.
FSN also flashes back to the Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Eastern Division event on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala. The tournament, held in late March, was won by National Guard pro Ramie Colson. Using a 5/16-ounce finesse jig over rock ledges, Colson registered a four-day weight of 59 pounds, 2 ounces en route to his first tour-level victory and $125,000.
In addition, BP pro David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., participates in this edition of Fishing 101. Walker, who has over $600,000 in career FLW Outdoors earnings, gives viewers tips on how to keep their rods looking and functioning like new.
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” Sunday mornings. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area.
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.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.
By: Jeff McCoy, PR dir, FLW Outdoors
