Tune in Sunday, April 22 to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the $200,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series event presented by Evinrude in Titusville, Fla. The second Eastern Division event of the $1.9 million season will highlight the best redfish anglers in the world as they compete for a cash prize of up to $50,000.
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 one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.
Going into the final day of competition, John Oliverio of Brandon, Fla., and Howie Green of Bushnell, Fla., lead with a two-day total of 26 pounds, 3 ounces. Oliverio is famous in fishing circles as the designer of the Power-Pole, a shallow-water anchoring system that can be used to stake down a boat quickly, efficiently and without noise. Oliverio’s innovative device is particularly effective in windy conditions – the exact kind of conditions that have plagued FLW Redfish Series anglers over the last couple of days.
With the use of his Power-Pole, Oliverio and Green are staking down on the east side of Mosquito Lagoon, employing Berkley Gulp products on 3/8-ounce Bass Assassin screw-lock jigheads. The heavier jigheads are giving the team better casting distance as they blind-cast to a mixture of sand and grass flats.
The April 22 show also follows the local team of Rick Worman and Alon Beja, both of Rockledge, Fla. After leading the opening day, Worman and Beja are in second with a two-day total of 25-13, just 6 ounces off the lead. Worman, who guides on the Indian River, has been working one school of about 150 redfish located in a trough about 1- to 3-feet deep. The team has decided to fish Worman’s home waters in the Indian River for two reasons: The fish are heavier and less pressured. Tune in as this local duo puts their close-to-home strategy to work on day three.
Joseph Porcelli of Edgewater, Fla., and Jeff Stellinga of Windermere, Fla., are currently in third place with a two-day total of 25 pounds, 7 ounces. The veteran team has been wetting their lines in Mosquito Lagoon all week, working one school of fish. Porcelli, who guides in Mosquito Lagoon, has located one ultra-productive area, a little boomerang-shaped corner along a sand edge. Porcelli and Stellinga are sight-fishing along the edge with 3- and 4-inch Berkley Gulp shrimp. With one day remaining, the two hope their little honeyhole holds up amidst a flood of recreational angling.
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. For the latest up-to-the-minute sports news and opinions, visit the FOX Sports/FSN website.
“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
