July 30 program to cover third qualifying event of $2.69 million season
Tune in Sunday, July 30 to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the $503,000 Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event held on Devils Lake in Devils Lake, N.D. The third tournament of the season, which included a full field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers, concludes with the winning pro claiming a cash prize of up to $100,000. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.
The July 30 show follows Isle, Minn., pro Paul Meleen, who sits in first place after two days of competition on the famous prairie pond. During the late afternoon on day two, a wicked cold front roared through North Dakota’s lake region, carrying dangerously high winds. Day three of the tournament was subsequently cancelled due to unsafe waters. Meleen, who has a two-day total of 46 pounds, 8 ounces, is catching his fish using slip-corks with leeches. His primary area is full of standing timber, which can be tricky when hooking into larger walleyes. Tune in as Meleen, who has over $70,000 in career FLW Walleye Tour earnings, looks to secure his first victory.
Second-place pro Pete Harsh has had no problem finding and boating big fish, but he understandably is wary about his early success. In years past, Harsh has caught several giant limits, but has never put together three consistent days on Devils Lake. After sacking a 29-pound, 13-ounce limit last year on day one, he faltered on day two with only 5 pounds, 12 ounces. The Sauk Centre, Minn., pro actually fractured his leg early on day two last year but continued to fish through the pain. He rebounded on day three with 22-6 and finished just ounces out of the top 10.
This time around, Harsh, who is also bobber fishing in the trees, has a 10-walleye total of 45 pounds, 7 ounces. Identified as an angler who fishes to win, Harsh has sacrificed a few checks from time to time. But when his dicey strategy works, it works brilliantly. Watch as this veteran walleye pro swings for the fence one last time in search of a $100,000 payday.
FSN also follows West Fargo, N.D., native Scott Larson, who caught five walleyes on day two that weighed 27 pounds, 8 ounces, which places him third with an opening-round total of 42 pounds, 12 ounces. Larson credited his success on day two to changing areas and fishing thicker trees that were located in deeper water. Larson is one of very few pros confident his pattern will stay productive in the midst of a cold front.
FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon ET. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online show guide listing what events are coming up on “FLW Outdoors.”
FSN reaches 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 over 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 350 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, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, 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 exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, call (270) 252-1000.
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.
By: Dave Washburn, vp comm, FLW Outdoors
