Walmart League

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DETROIT RIVER TO HOST WAL-MART BASS FISHING LEAGUE MICHIGAN DIVISION TOURNAMENT

TRENTON, Mich. (Aug. 29, 2006) - The Michigan division of the $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit the Detroit River near Trenton, Mich., Sept 9-10 10 for a two-day Super Tournament,the division’s final regular-season event. 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 as much as $6,000 to the Boater Division winner.
Marina- Elizabeth Park Marina in Trenton will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.
If the winning boater is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will also receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if the boat used during competition is powered by Yamaha. Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha. Bombardier will award a $1,000 bonus to the winning boater if his or her 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. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.
For more information or to enter the tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com. Tournament entries will also be accepted on-site during registration Sept. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 23800 Allen Road in Woodhaven, Mich. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers. A $25 late fee also applies to entries taken on site along with a $25 membership fee for anglers who are not yet members of FLW Outdoors.
The top 40 boaters and 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. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee 2007 Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater 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 field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.
The winning boater and co-angler at the All-American will each advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 1-5, 2007. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing.
The top 40 Michigan Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Fort Madison, Iowa Regional Championship Oct. 5-7 and will compete against anglers from the Great Lakes, Illini and Ozark divisions for an All-American slot. These regional qualifiers also have the option to advance to the Stren Series in 2007.
In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.
As the nation's leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour - bass fishing's most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg's pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.
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, visit FLWOutdoors.com or 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. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
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LAKE HICKORY TO HOST WAL-MART BASS FISHING LEAGUE NORTH CAROLINA

HICKORY N.C. (Aug. 29, 2006) - The North Carolina Division of the $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit Lake Hickory near Hickory, N.C., Sept. 9-10 for a two-day Super Tournament,the division's final regular-season event. 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 as much as $6,000 to the Boater Division winner.
Whittenburg Boat Ramp in Hickory, N.C., will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.
If the winning boater is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will also receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if the boat used during competition is powered by Yamaha. Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha. Bombardier will award a $1,000 bonus to the winning boater if his or her 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. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.
For more information or to enter the tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com. Tournament entries will also be accepted on-site during registration Sept. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 2525 hwy 70 SE in Hickory, N.C. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers. A $25 late fee also applies to entries taken on site along with a $25 membership fee for anglers who are not yet members of FLW Outdoors.
The top 40 boaters and 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. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee 2007 Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater 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 field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.
The winning boater and co-angler at the All-American will each advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 1-5, 2007. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing.
The top 40 North Carolina Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Championship near Moneta, Va., Oct. 19-21 and will compete against anglers from the Empire, Northeast and Piedmont divisions for an All-American slot. These regional qualifiers also have the option to advance to the Stren Series in 2007.
In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.
As the nation's leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour - bass fishing's most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg's pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.
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, visit FLWOutdoors.com or 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. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
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GRAND LAKE TO HOST WAL-MART BASS FISHING LEAGUE OKIE DIVISION TOURNAMENT

GROVE, Okla. (Aug. 29, 2006) - The Okie Division of the $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit Grand Lake near Grove, Okla., Sept. 9-for a two-day Super Tournament; the division's final regular-season event. 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 as much as $6,000 to the Boater Division winner.
Red II Port Resort in Grove will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.
If the winning boater is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will also receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if the boat used during competition is powered by Yamaha. Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha. Bombardier will award a $1,000 bonus to the winning boater if his or her 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. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.
For more information or to enter the tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com. Tournament entries will also be accepted on-site during registration Sept. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 2115 South Main St. in Grove. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers. A $25 late fee also applies to entries taken on site along with a $25 membership fee for anglers who are not yet members of FLW Outdoors.
The top 40 boaters and 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. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee 2007 Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater 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 field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.
The winning boater and co-angler at the All-American will each advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 1-5, 2007. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing.
The top 40 Okie Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Wright Patman Regional Championship near Texarkana, Texas Oct. 19-21 and will compete against anglers from the Cowboy, Louisiana and Arkie divisions for an All-American slot. These regional qualifiers also have the option to advance to the Stren Series in 2007.
In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.
As the nation's leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour - bass fishing's most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg's pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.
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, visit FLWOutdoors.com or 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. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. .......POTOMAC RIVER TO HOST WAL-MART BASS FISHING LEAGUE NORTHEAST DIVISION TOURNAMENT

LAPLATA, Md. (Aug. 29, 2006) - The Northeast Division of the $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit the Potomac River near LaPlata, Md., Sept. 9-10 for their fifth and final regular-season event. 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 as much as $6,000 to the Boater Division winner.
Sweden Point Marina at Smallwood State Park in Marbury, Md. will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.
If the winning boater is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will also receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if the boat used during competition is powered by Yamaha. Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha. Bombardier will award a $1,000 bonus to the winning boater if his or her 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. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.
For more information or to enter the tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com. Tournament entries will also be accepted on-site during registration Sept. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 40 Drury Drive in LaPlata. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers. A $25 late fee also applies to entries taken on site along with a $25 membership fee for anglers who are not yet members of FLW Outdoors.
The top 40 boaters and 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. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee 2007 Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater 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 field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.
The winning boater and co-angler at the All-American will each advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 1-5, 2007. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing.
The top 40 Northeast Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Smith Mountain Regional Championship near Moneta, Va., Oct. 19-21 and will compete against anglers from the Empire, North Carolina and Piedmont divisions for an All-American slot. These regional qualifiers also have the option to advance to the Stren Series in 2007.
In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.
As the nation's leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour - bass fishing's most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg's pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.
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, visit FLWOutdoors.com or 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. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.

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LAKE GUNTERSVILLE TO HOST WAL-MART BASS FISHING LEAGUE BAMA DIVISION TOURNAMENT

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (Aug. 29, 2006) - The Bama Division of the $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit Lake Guntersville near Scottsboro, Ala., Sept. 9-10 for their fifth and final regular-season event. 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 as much as $6,000 to the Boater Division winner.
Goose Pond Marina in Scottsboro will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Anglers will compete for prize money as well as points that count toward postseason competition. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for the season-ending Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 points for second, 298 for third, and so on.
If the winning boater is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will also receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if the boat used during competition is powered by Yamaha. Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha. Bombardier will award a $1,000 bonus to the winning boater if his or her 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. The angler who catches the biggest bass of the day in the Boater Division will earn as much as $1,000, and the co-angler big-bass winner will earn as much as $500.
For more information or to enter the tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com. Tournament entries will also be accepted on-site during registration Sept. 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 24833 John T. Reid Parkway in Scottsboro. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers. A $25 late fee also applies to entries taken on site along with a $25 membership fee for anglers who are not yet members of FLW Outdoors.
The top 40 boaters and 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. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee 2007 Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater 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 field of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers.
The winning boater and co-angler at the All-American will each advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 1-5, 2007. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing.
The top 40 Bama Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to the Kentucky Lake Regional Championship near Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 19-21 and will compete against anglers from the Buckeye, Hoosier and Mountain divisions for an All-American slot. These regional qualifiers also have the option to advance to the Stren Series in 2007.
In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.
As the nation's leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour - bass fishing's most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg's pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.
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, visit FLWOutdoors.com or 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. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.

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FLW OUTDOORS ANNOUNCES FORMAT CHANGE FOR $2 MILLION FORREST WOOD CUP

Traditional Wal-Mart FLW Tour cut format replaces bracket system

BENTON, Ky. (Aug. 29, 2006) - FLW Outdoors announced Tuesday that it will replace its championship bracket format with the traditional Wal-Mart FLW Tour cut format beginning with the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 2-5, 2007. The change was necessitated by the fact that anglers from multiple FLW Outdoors tournament trails and the TBF (The Bass Federation) National Championship will qualify for the lucrative event for a shot at the sport's first $1 million payday.
"The NCAA-style bracket format has served us well for many years on the FLW Tour," said FLW Outdoors President and CEO Charlie Evans. "It created thrilling head-to-head matches and unique story lines that allowed fans to experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat with every pair of anglers to cross the stage. There is, however, no equitable way to pair anglers in head-to-head competition when they qualify through different circuits. But the bracket will not disappear. We will use the format in our East-West fish-off for the FLW Series."
The 2007 Forrest Wood Cup will feature the top 40 pros and 35 co-anglers from the 2007 FLW Tour, the top 30 pros and 25 co-anglers from the 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Series, the top pro and co-angler from each of the five Stren Series divisions at the 2006 Stren Series Championship, the 2007 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League All-American boater and co-angler winners, the 2007 TBF National Championship boater and co-angler winners, the winning teams from each of the five 2006 Stratos owners' tournaments held in the United States (both team members fishing the Forrest Wood Cup as co-anglers), and the first- and second-place teams from each of the two Ranger owners' tournaments slated for 2007 (the boaters of each team fishing the Forrest Wood Cup as pros and their partners fishing as co-anglers).
Overall, 81 pros and 81 co-anglers will compete in the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup. The full field will compete for two days and then be cut to the top 10 pros and 10 co-anglers based on accumulated weight from days one and two. These 10 pros and 10 co-anglers will start from zero on day three, with the winning co-angler determined by the day's heaviest catch. The pros will carry their weights over to day four, and the winner will be determined based on accumulated weight from days three and four. Weigh-ins all four days will be held at Summit Arena in conjunction with the Forrest Wood Cup Outdoor Show at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
"The 2007 Forrest Wood Cup represents a defining moment in our sport's history," Evans said. "Never before have so many anglers had the opportunity to compete for a share of $2 million in a no-entry-fee championship. In fact, anglers fishing the Stren Series and BFL will actually qualify for two no-entry-fee championships offering total payouts of $3 million. This is an unprecedented accomplishment in bass-fishing history."
Both the Stren Series Championship and the BFL All-American offer anglers $1 million purses with top awards of $140,000 in addition to the Forrest Wood Cup.
"One thing we take great pride in at FLW Outdoors is the fact that we listen to our anglers, and we are flexible enough to adjust when needed," Evans said. "We make a lot of decisions every day, and our track record is pretty good, but we are not perfect, nor do we claim to be. Occasionally, we miss. We realize that we will never be able to please everyone all of the time, but we feel strongly that this change will contribute to the professionalism of our sport and its continued growth."
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' Tournaments Trail, 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, visit FLWOutdoors.com or 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. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.

$2 Million 2007 Forrest Wood Cup Payout
Place Pro Co-angler
1st $1,000,000* $50,000**
2nd 100,000 10,000
3rd 75,000 9,000
4th 60,000 8,000
5th 50,000 7,000
6th 45,000 6,000
7th 40,000 5,000
8th 35,000 4,000
9th 30,000 3,500
10th 25,000 3,000
11th 20,000 2,800
12th 19,000 2,600
13th 18,000 2,400
14th 17,000 2,200
15th 16,000 2,000
16th 15,000 1,800
17th 14,000 1,600
18th 13,000 1,400
19th 12,000 1,200
20th 11,000 1,000
21st-40th 10,000 475
41st-81st 1,000 250

* $1 million will be awarded to the pro winner if the winner is a qualified Ranger owner. $500,000 will be awarded to the pro winner if the winner is not a qualified Ranger owner.

** $50,000 will be awarded to the co-angler winner if the winner is a qualified Ranger owner. $25,000 will be awarded to the co-angler winner if the winner is not a qualified Ranger owner.