Dec. 9 show to highlight $275,000 king mackerel tournament from Orange Beach, Ala.
Tune in Sunday, Dec. 9 to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the $275,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship held in Orange Beach, Ala. The final event of the season concludes with the winning team claiming a cash prize of up to $70,000.
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.
One hundred and twenty five teams – the top three from each of 15 qualifying tournaments and the top 16 in the points standings from each of five divisions – qualified to fish the tournament. The FLW Kingfish Series Championship is a three-day, no-entry-fee event. 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.
Tournament officials canceled day one due to a Small Craft Advisory issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), so teams will now commence competition on day two with the top five advancing to day three.
The inclement weather improved on day two, albeit slightly, as anglers fished in gusty winds and seas that grew to 8 feet offshore. Not that anyone would wish for such harsh conditions, but Mobile, Ala., native Marcus Kennedy, whose Team “Kwazar” leads the event with a 51-pound, 11-ounce smoker king, said the foul weather actually worked in his favor. Joined by Max Williams of Pensacola, Fla., and Mike Ward and Todd Kercher, both of Mobile, Kennedy ran approximately 60 miles southwest of Orange Beach and fished over patches of natural bottom in 180 feet of water. Team “Kwazar” caught three other kingfish in the 30-pound class on day two. Their heaviest hit a live blue runner on a downrigger set 70 feet deep at 11 a.m. Kennedy usually mans the helm during tournaments, but with other tasks occupying his teammates, he grabbed the rod and fought the fish for about 10 minutes. Another smoker on day three would likely put Kwazar in the winner’s circle.
Team “Sake,” led by Capt. Neil Nix of Okeechobee, Fla., also braved the big seas, running 50 miles south. The result was a 41-pound, 9-ounce kingfish that was caught over a reef in 180 feet of water. When “Sake’s” big fish ate a live blue runner around 10:30 a.m., Danny Marasocci fought the fish and Nix gaffed it after a 35-minute fight. The team caught another 11 kings between 20 and 25 pounds.
FSN also follows Team “Square & Level/Reel Wild,” captained by Frank (Pete) Eldridge of Waycross, Ga. On the strength of a 40-pound, 14-ounce king mackerel, “Square & Level/Reel Wild” is third with one day of competition remaining.
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. 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
