FLW Outdoors officials today announced Kentucky Lake as host site for the 2005 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Chevy Wild Card regional Oct. 28-29. If you have entered all five tournaments in a BFL division this season and have not qualified for any other BFL Regional Championship, you are qualified to compete in this optional-entry-fee tournament for a shot at qualifying for the $1 million All-American. To be eligible for the Chevy Wild Card, your entry fees must not have been transferred or refunded unless you were placed on a waiting list.
Qualified anglers may enter immediately by calling FLW Outdoors at (270) 252-1000. Registration for the Chevy Wild Card will close at 5 p.m. Central time Oct. 26. Qualified anglers may enter as a boater or co-angler regardless of how they entered any tournament during the 2005 season. There is no “guaranteed” status in the Chevy Wild Card.
Anglers fishing the Chevy Wild Card may participate in an optional pot, which will be awarded to the top 20 percent of the participating field. The optional pot fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers. Anglers participating in the optional pot will automatically be entered into a big-bass pot, which will be paid each day based on $5 per boater and $2.50 per co-angler entering the optional pot.
All ties will be broken by the heaviest one-day stringer. Those still tied will remain tied except for ties for sixth place, which will be broken by 2005 divisional points standings.
There is no official practice period or off-limits period prior to the pretournament meeting. However, no contestant may be on tournament waters for the purpose of locating bass or potential fishing waters after the start of the pretournament meeting except during tournament hours. The purchasing of information or the hiring of services for this tournament is not permitted after Oct. 2, 2005.
As part of the Wild Card festivities, a Chevy Pro Night will be held at Country Chevrolet located at 104 W. 5th St. in Benton, Ky., from 6-8 p.m. Oct. 26. Bring your FLW Outdoors membership card to Chevy Pro Night to enter a drawing for a free BFL entry.
Registration and an angler-appreciation picnic will be held at the Kentucky Dam State Park Convention Center off Highway 641 in Gilbertsville, Ky., from 3-6 p.m. Oct. 27. The pretournament meeting will be held at the same location starting at 7 p.m.
Kentucky Dam Marina located at 466 Marina Drive in Gilbertsville will host daily takeoffs and weigh-ins at 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, Oct. 28-29.
No locking is allowed, and the area inside the Kentucky Dam Marina break wall is off limits. The minimum length limit for bass is 15 inches for largemouths and smallmouths and 12 inches for spotted bass.
The top six boaters and top six co-anglers at the Chevy Wild Card will advance to the 2006 All-American.
The 2005 Chevy Wild Card is hosted by the Marshall County Tourist Commission.