SARASOTA, Fla. – The sunny confines of Sarasota Bay saw the opening of the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Friday morning.
A total of $1.7 million is at stake on the FLW Kingfish Tour this season, which, like last year, begins on the Gulf of Mexico of Florida’s west coast.
Last year, Team My Three Sons won the calm-water tournament here with an aggregate weight of 63 pounds, 10 ounces by catching a nice 37-10 kingfish in the two-day opening round and closing with a hefty 26-pounder in the finals. While blue runners were the bait of choice at that event, the winning team caught its kicker fish on a live mullet.
Bait choice and adapting to conditions will be key here again this week. Look for lots of fish to come on blue runners and ribbonfish, but watch out for the odd big one to come on a little different presentation. The weather, which is sunny and calm now, could deteriorate as the weekend wears on, so that could be a huge factor, as well.
Tournament logistics
Teams will take off from the Hyatt Sarasota on Sarasota Bay located at 1000 Boulevard of the Arts in Sarasota at 6:30 Eastern each morning. Scales open at 4 p.m. and all teams must check-in by 6 p.m. The morning start and weigh-in are free and open to the public. Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located 13140 South Tamiami Trail in Osprey, Fla., beginning at 4:30 p.m.
The full field will compete Friday and Saturday then be cut to the top five teams for Sunday. Winners are determined based upon the heaviest kingfish from Friday or Saturday plus the heaviest kingfish from Sunday.
The winning team earns $40,000 cash. If the team captain is the original owner of a Hydra-Sports, Scarab, Seaswirl or Wellcraft boat that is used during the tournament, the team also receives a $30,000 bonus. Additionally, if the winning captain is the original owner of a qualifying Yamaha or Evinrude outboard that is used during the tournament, the team will receive another $30,000 bonus for a total award of $100,000.