FSN to broadcast final Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Eastern Division qualifier
Tune in Sunday, Dec. 16 to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Eastern Division event on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. The fourth and final tournament of the Eastern Division season concludes with the winning pro claiming a cash prize of $125,000.
The full field competes for the first three days of FLW Series events. Co-angler winners are determined on day three by the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.
In addition to the top award of $125,000, anglers are competing valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the FLW Series East-West Fish-Off and a shot at advancing to the $2 million, 2008 Forrest Wood Cup, where the winning pro will earn as much as $1 million – the sport’s biggest award. The top 30 pros from both FLW Series divisions will advance to the Fish-Off, which will be held Feb. 7-9, 2008 on Lake Amistad in Del Rio, Texas.
Leading the Pickwick tournament wire to wire after the first three days of competition is Suave pro Mark Rose. The Marion, Ark., pro brought in five bass on day three, but it was his smallest limit of the week, 12 pounds, 1 ounce, which give him a three-day total of 46 pounds, 15 ounces. Rose is fishing over a mussel bed in 14-16 feet of water near Yellow Creek. His key bait this week has been a 3/4-ounce football-head jig in green-pumpkin color. Although Rose has accumulated over a half million dollars in his FLW Outdoors career, he has yet to win a tour-level event. A $125,000 victory would mean everything, not only in the financial sense but also for his family and sponsors.
Although Rose has led wire to wire thus far, his lead shrunk dramatically on day three. Paducah, Ky., pro Terry Bolton caught a five-bass limit that weighed 17 pounds, 4 ounces, pushing his three-day total to 46 pounds, 2 ounces. Bolton is a deep-water guru on Tennessee Valley Authority lakes and his banner day put him in contention to win his first FLW Series event. Bolton is fishing deeper than Rose, mainly in 20 to 26 feet of water, and is presenting his jigs over natural rock.
BP pro Jim Moynagh of Carver, Minn., sacked up the biggest stringer of the tournament on day three, 19 pounds, 2 ounces, to move into third with an opening-round total of 44 pounds, 12 ounces, just 2 pounds, 3 ounces off the lead. Moynagh’s tremendous catch consisted of four huge smallmouths and a largemouth. He, too, is dragging a jig on deep offshore structure. He is using his namesake 3/4-ounce football-head jig with a twin-tail trailer.
FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sunday mornings. 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
