The Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Western Division will make its first of four $200,000 regular-season stops March 8-10 in Lafitte. The lucrative tournament will feature as many as 150 redfish teams casting for a top award of $25,000 cash and $25,000 in Ranger, Yamaha and Evinrude bonuses.
“It’s cold right now, and we’re catching reds in 10 to 15 feet of water in a lot of spots,” said pro Edward Adams of Metairie, who, with teammate Ray Chagnard, won the 2006 event at Lafitte in September. “It’s been a late winter for us — it’s usually getting up into the 70s pretty consistently by now. If a cold front moves through before the tournament, it will mean a lot of guys will be blind casting.”
In the September tournament, many anglers made the run to Venice because of the river’s low water levels, but Adams predicts most anglers will stay closer to Lafitte because of poor conditions in the Venice area. Regardless of what the weather does, Adams predicts a good number of fish will be taken to the weigh-in stage.
“There will be a lot of fish caught, but I don’t think it will be really heavy weights,” he said. “I think we’ll see a lot of 15-pound stringers and maybe one or two 16- or 17-pound stringers.”
Anglers will take off at 6:30 each morning from Lafitte Harbor Marina. Weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3:30 p.m. daily. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free, and the community is invited to attend the festivities.
The winning team will receive a top award of $25,000. If Ranger contingency guidelines are met, the winning team will also receive a $12,500 cash bonus. If Yamaha or Evinrude contingency guidelines are met, the winning team will receive an additional $12,500 cash bonus for a total of $50,000.
The top 50 teams in the FLW Redfish Series based on points standings at the end of the season will advance to the $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Championship Oct. 18-20 in Orange Beach, Ala. The winning team at the championship will earn as much as $100,000.
In FLW Redfish Series competition, 150 points are awarded to the winner, 149 for second, 148 for third, and so on. All teams that receive weight credit will receive points that determine team standings. All FLW Redfish Series events are three-day tournaments (Thursday, Friday and Saturday). The full field competes during the first two days, and the top five teams based on accumulated weight advance to day three. Final standings are determined by the total weight from all three days.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
