FSN to televise season-opening Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series tournament
Tune in Sunday, March 23 to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the season-opening Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series event from Punta Gorda, Fla. The first of four Eastern Division tournaments will highlight the best redfish anglers in the world as they compete for a top prize of $50,000 cash.
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 one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.
Weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces on day one gave Roger Crafton and John Ochs no guarantees. Posting a nearly identical score on day two ensured them the top spot heading into the final round. Hailing from Boca Grande and Englewood, Fla., respectively, Crafton and Ochs are fishing south of Punta Gorda. Their day-two limit of 14 pounds, 8 ounces pushed their total weight to a solid 29-6. To catch their fish, the team is throwing Berkley Gulp shrimp over grass beds. Using the wind to their advantage, the anglers are making long drifts through the target zone. Another consistent catch on day three would earn them a life-changing payday.
In second place is the team of Warren Girle and Billy Harris. After catching a two-fish limit of 12-13 on day one, Girle and Harris caught 15-2 on day two, the heaviest limit of the tournament thus far. Girle hails from Longboat Key, Fla., and Harris from Bradenton, Fla. Both know the Tampa Bay area well, so each day they make an 80-mile run from Punta Gorda to an area at the south end of the bay known as “The Bulkhead” and into Perico Bay. There the two work Berkley Gulp shrimp and jerk shads over a grass and sand patchwork. Although they trail the leaders by 1 pound, 7 ounces, the Castrol team feels they are around tournament-winning fish. Plus, Girle and Harris are long overdue for a Redfish Series victory as the veteran team has been in the top five four times.
FSN also follows the redfish team of Eddy Arsenault and Jason Coffrin as the two work a leeward area of grassy bottom with scattered sand holes in Lemon Bay. Not surprisingly, the anglers are using Berkley Gulp shrimp on weedless worm hooks and are presenting their offering near the bottom. This is Arsenault and Coffrin’s first Redfish Series tournament as a team. Tune in as the Sarasota, Fla., natives attempt to shock the redfish world.
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: Dave Washburn, vp comm, FLW Outdoors
