You’ll feel like a king when a trophy trout explodes like a volcano on your topwater plug.
NEW ORLEANS – The lucrative new Wal-Mart FLW® Redfish Open will debut the sport’s first pro/co-angler format when action gets under way at the Southern Sportsman’s Expo in the Louisiana Superdome March 27-30. Pros and co-anglers competing in the historic tournament will be randomly paired each day and will compete for a combined boat weight. Pros will fish for as much as $100,000 and co-anglers will compete for as much as $10,000 based on a full field of 100 boats.
“This format is something new for redfish competition. I think it’s going to be a success,” said Land O’Lakes pro David Nesloney Sr. of Rockport, Texas, who along with his teammate and son, David Nesloney Jr., has two top-10 finishes in FLW Redfish Series competition since 2005. “I enjoy being on a team with my son and competing, but this is something different for the circuit.”
The FLW Redfish Open format is modeled after the highly successful Wal-Mart FLW® Walleye Tour, where randomly paired pros and co-anglers fish as a team and carry their combined catch weight to the next day of competition. The full field will compete for two days and then be cut to the top 30 pros and co-anglers for day three. After day three, the field will be cut to the top five pros and co-anglers for the fourth and final day of competition. Winners in each division will be determined by the accumulated weight of their respective catches during all four days of competition.
“I have been fishing this area for four years,” Nesloney said. “The only thing is, that you have to make longs runs to catch the quality of fish that you are looking for. There will be boats running around 100 miles a day to get the right size fish.”
Nesloney predicts that if the weather holds up the weight needed will be 14 to 15 pounds each day. To catch his fish Nesloney will be throwing an array of spoons, Berkley Gulp and spinnerbaits.
Anglers will take off from Bayou Segnette State Park located at 7777 Westbank Expressway in Westwego, La., at 6:30 each morning. Weigh-ins will be held at the Louisiana Superdome located at Sugar Bowl Dr. in New Orleans beginning at 5 p.m. each day.
Coverage of the FLW Redfish Open will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program airing April 27. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.
The top award of $100,000 in the Pro Division includes $50,000 based on a full field of 100 boats plus a $25,000 Ranger bonus and a $25,000 Evinrude or Yamaha bonus based on a full field of 100 boats if contingency guidelines are met.
Openings are still available in the tournament. Entry fees are $2,500 for pros and $500 for co-anglers. Enter online at FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Tournament pros aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing™, FLW Outdoors® offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour® stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player’s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.
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 targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.