Nov. 25 show to highlight $300,000 king mackerel tournament
Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour actions returns to FSN Sunday, Nov. 25 at 11 a.m. Eastern time. The one-hour show will cover the fourth king mackerel tournament of the year held in Atlantic Beach, N.C. The event concludes with the winning team claiming a cash prize of up to $100,000.
The “FLW Outdoors” saltwater series is a reality-format show told from the anglers’ perspective. Each week the top-five finalists are followed from takeoff to weigh-in, allowing the audience to feel the anglers’ nerves, listen to their strategy and learn from their mistakes. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the show until the final weigh-in results are announced.
FLW Kingfish Tour qualifying tournaments are three-day events. The entire field competes on day one and day two and the top five teams compete on day three. The winning team is determined based on the heaviest kingfish from day one or day two plus the heaviest kingfish from day three.
With time running out and bait running thin late in the afternoon on day two, Joshua Denton of Team Hard Way made a decision that would bring about a major change of fortune for his kingfish team: He sacrificed his prized 6-pound bluefish for bait. The last-minute move lured a 41-pound, 7-ounce kingfish onto Team Hard Way’s line. After a 10-minute battle, the team hoisted the smoker king aboard and made an hour-long run back to Sea Water Marina. That giant mackerel allowed the team, consisting of Captain Todd Korker, Denton and Marty Koehler, to take over the top spot at the conclusion of the two-day opening round. Team Hard Way won the Beaufort, S.C., qualifier last season and now has a chance to make history as the first team to win two Kingfish Tour events.
On the strength of their day-one kingfish that weighed 38 pounds, 10 ounces, Team McNeill, captained by Ellis Phillips of Richmond Hill, Ga., finished the opening round in second place. As for the final day, Phillips is going to stick to his game plan of running around looking for bait up in the water column. The veteran offshore fisherman believes the biggest kings are roaming around with big bait schools. This plan seems to be working, especially considering that their top king bit less than 15 minutes after they put their baits in the water on day one.
FSN also follows Team Reelin. The South Carolina team, captained by Marc Pincus, barely snuck into the finals as the No. 5 team. In fact, Reelin didn’t even place their 36-pound, 2-ounce mackerel on the scale until the closing minutes of the day-two weigh-in. Reelin is committed to one area in 35 to 40 feet of water out in front of the beaches. In the closing minutes of day two action, they finally received the bite they were looking for as the big king attacked a bluefish shortly before they had to return to the marina. Seeking an improbable come-from-behind victory, their first on the Kingfish Tour, Reelin plans a return visit to the area on day three.
Also at stake is the Land O’Lakes Team of the Year award. The coveted title is determined by the total accumulated points from four regular-season FLW Kingfish Tour events. Two hundred points are awarded for a win, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on. Currently in the lead with 585 points is Team M&M’s, but Team BP and Team Yozuri are hot on their heels.
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 ET. 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. 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
