Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Tournaments Season Openers Slated for April 18th.

by Robin Thweatt

(Apr. 09, 2009 – Benton, KY)… The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit on April 18th for the third of five regular-season events listed below. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $45,000 in cash, including a top award of $6,000 in the Boater Division.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will receive a $2,000 bonus from Ranger Boats. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $1,000 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant. That’s a potential top award of $8,000 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude E-TEC or Direct Injection outboard.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $3,000 cash.

Big Bass awards of up to $1,000 and $500, respectively, will also be awarded in the Boater and Co-angler Divisions.

1. The Savannah River Division will visit Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C. Clemson Marina in Seneca will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6:45 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at the FLWOutdoors website or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held April 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 1636 Sandifer Blvd. in Seneca, S.C. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

2. The Ozark Division will visit Table Rock Lake in Branson, Mo. Kimberling Inn Resort in Kimberling City, Mo., will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at the FLWOutdoors website or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held April 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 18401 State Highway 13 in Branson. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

3. The Music City Division will visit Center Hill Lake in Sparta, Tenn. Ragland Bottoms Recreation Area in Sparta will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at the FLWOutdoors website or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held April 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 515 W. Broad St. in Smithville, Tenn. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition.

The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee $2.5 million Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Walmart FLW Tour.

A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on the Kissimmee River in Lake Wales, Fla., Sept. 19-20.

Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in the Everglades Division will advance to the Lake Seminole Regional Championship in Bainbridge, Ga., Oct. 22-24 and will compete against anglers from the Bulldog, Bama and Dixie divisions for an All-American berth. Read more… »

Walmart FLW Walleye League Schedule Announced For 2009

(Nov. 25, 2008 – Minneapolis, MN)… FLW Outdoors has announced its 2009 Walmart FLW Walleye League schedule featuring four divisions, each with three one-day qualifying tournaments.

The Heartland Division will kick off the 2009 season March 21 on the Illinois River in Spring Valley, Ill., followed by events April 25 on the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Iowa, and May 30 on Lake Rathbun in Centerville, Iowa.

Anglers fishing the Michigan Division will visit Lake Erie in Port Clinton, Ohio, April 4, followed by tournaments June 20 on Lake Erie in Monroe, Mich., and Aug. 22 on Saginaw Bay in Au Gres, Mich.

Competition in the Minnesota Division will begin May 2 on the Mississippi River in Red Wing, Minn., followed by tournaments June 6 on Leech Lake in Walker, Minn., and July 11 on Lake Bemidji in Bemidji, Minn.

Wisconsin Division competition will start May 16 on Lake Petenwell in Arkdale, Wis., followed by tournaments June 27 on Green Bay in Oconto, Wis., and Aug. 8 on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wis.

After all qualifying events are complete, the top 30 boaters and co-anglers in the points standings from each division will advance to the no-entry-fee Walmart FLW Walleye League Finals to be held Sept. 17-19 on Lake Wissota in Chippewa Falls, Wis. The boater and co-angler points champions from each division will also advance to the Walmart FLW Walleye Tour Championship on the Missouri River in Bismarck, N.D., Sept. 30-Oct. 3, where they can win as much as $150,000 and $20,000, respectively. The top 10 boaters and co-anglers from each division will receive priority entry into the 2010 FLW Walleye Tour.

The top boater award in each qualifier jumps from $7,500 to $9,000 for 2009 thanks to a $2,000 Ranger Cup bonus. If the winning boater is not Ranger Cup qualified, the highest finishing Ranger Cup boater will receive a $1,000 bonus. The top co-angler award is $3,500.

Entry fees are $300 per event for boaters and $150 per event for co-anglers. Entry dates will be released soon.

Please see the 2009 Walleye League schedule and payouts below or go to the FLWOutdoors website for complete details.

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. FLW Outdoors also took fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, awarding a historic $1 million prize to Michael Thompson of St. Michael, Minn. Details on an enhanced 2009 FLW Fantasy Fishing league will be announced soon.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.

article source : http://www.fishingworld.com/News/Read.php?ArtID=000024298