PORT ARANSAS, Texas – The new $1.8 million Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series will make its third Gulf Coast Division stop Sept. 9 as teams compete for a guaranteed top award of $12,000 cash and a final shot at the $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship.
With money like that on the line, the FLW Kingfish Series stop launching from Port Aransas City Marina in Port Aransas, Texas will be one of the richest regional kingfish tournaments in the state. Tack on Hydra-Sports, Seaswirl, Wellcraft, Yamaha and Evinrude bonuses totaling $18,000, and the winner’s take could be as much as $30,000 cash – a sum that ranks the tournament as one of the most lucrative regional kingfish events in the nation.
It’s not too late to get in on the action. Openings are still available in the tournament, which has a $500 entry fee. Teams may register online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Entries will also be accepted during on-site registration from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located 2501 W. Wheeler in Aransas Pass. The field, however, is capped at a maximum of 100 boats.
“It’s going to be a great tournament as always,” said Team Snafu Captain Stephen Barfoot of Satsuma, Ala., who leads the Gulf Coast Division. “I think it’s going to take a king in the mid-50s to win it. They say everything is bigger in Texas, so I guess we’ll find out.”
Barfoot and his crew have one win and a second place finish in the first two tournaments of the season, weighing a 50-pound king in each event. He believes the key to the final regular-season event will be bait.
“Finding good bait and having plenty of it is very important for us,” he said. “You can’t waste time looking for bait in the morning. It must be ready to go.”
Barfoot plans to fish hardtails on downriggers at 30 and 60 feet and two on flat lines.
Aside from cash, teams competing in Port Aransas will be vying for valuable points that could earn them a trip to the no-entry-fee, $300,000 FLW Kingfish Series Championship in Orange Beach, Ala., Oct. 26-28, which will be televised nationwide as part of “FLW Outdoors” on FSN (Fox Sports Net). This broadcast will reach approximately 80 million households in the United States plus 350 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making “FLW Outdoors” 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 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network. “FLW Outdoors” airs Sundays at 11 a.m. Eastern time.
Teams will take off from Port Aransas City Marina located at 301 J.C. Barr Blvd. in Port Aransas at 7 Saturday morning, Sept. 9. The scales open at 3 p.m. and teams must check in by 5 p.m. The morning start and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
One hundred and fifty points are awarded to the winning team in each tournament, 149 points for second, 148 points for third, and so on. The top 20 teams from each division will advance to the FLW Kingfish Series Championship. Additionally, the points champion from each division will receive a full year of free entries into the division of their choice for the 2007 FLW Kingfish Series. The top five teams from each division also qualify for the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, where they can compete for a share of $330,000 in every qualifier.
The Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce/Tourist Bureau is hosting the event. For more information, visit their Web site at portaransas.org.
Every FLW Kingfish Series qualifying event features a $100,000 purse based on a full field of 100 boats.
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.
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.