FSN to highlight first National Guard Western Division event on Lake Havasu
Tune in Sunday, March 11 to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the inaugural Wal-Mart FLW Series National Western Division event on Lake Havasu in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. The second tournament of the $10 million FLW Series season concludes with the winning pro claiming a cash prize of $125,000.
In FLW Series competition, a full field of pros and co-anglers competes for the first three days. 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.
After putting on a fishing clinic for two straight days, local Lake Havasu City pro Mike Goodwin finally faltered. And, as a result, Goodwin lost sole possession of the lead he’d held throughout the first two days of the opening round. Joining him at the top of the leaderboard with a three-day total of 32 pounds is pro Phil Strader. Throughout the week, Goodwin has been running and gunning, targeting wood and grass in anywhere from 3 to 15 feet of water. His key baits are a 5/8-ounce brown jig with a purple No. 11 Uncle Josh pork trailer; a 4-inch Life-like worm in a lemonade color and a Castaic 5-inch swimbait in a trout pattern. Watch Sunday as Goodwin attempts to capture $125,000 – the largest bass-fishing prize in the history of the Western United States – in front of his hometown.
The main beneficiary of Goodwin’s day-three stumble was Strader, a native of Glide, Ore. It also opened the door for other competitors in addition to Strader – including bass-fishing powerhouse Jay Yelas of Tyler, Texas. After bringing in a three-day total weight of 29 pounds, Yelas is now within striking distance of both Strader and Goodwin. Yelas has utilized a light-weight G3 aluminum boat all week to traverse some tricky terrain in an attempt to gain an edge on the competition. Once he reaches his area, a small backwater lake, he’s catching a five-bass limit in under an hour. The bad news is that Yelas doesn’t think he can return to his secret spot tomorrow due to dropping water levels. If he can get there, he thinks he can win the tournament.
Also in contention is pro Mike Phua of Chino, Calif., who sits in fourth place after three days on Lake Havasu with a total weight of 28 pounds, 3 ounces. Phua, who is fishing in his first FLW Outdoors event of any kind, is mainly targeting smallmouth bass. On the final day of competition, he said that he will continue targeting those fish by throwing tube baits in 2 to 5 feet near steep walls.
FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon ET. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area. FLW Outdoors 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. 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 238 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,r call (270) 252-1000.
By: Dave Washburn, vp comm, FLW Outdoors
