MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The nation’s best walleye fishermen will take to the waters of Lake Michigan at Green Bay, Wis., Oct. 3-7, 2000, to compete in the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship presented by Evinrude Outboards. The event features the largest purse in competitive walleye angling history.
Ranger Boat Company, Crestliner and Lund Boats (RCL), three of the world’s premier boat manufacturers, along with Wal-Mart and Evinrude, will award up to $1.4 million and a possible $400,000 first place cash prize. The tournament will feature professional and co-angler walleye fishermen representing the top walleye organizations from the United States and Canada. Qualification for the tournament began April 10, 1999, and will continue through August 20, 2000.
Operation Walleye, a division of Kentucky-based Operation Bass Inc., the world’s largest fishing tournament organization, will conduct the first-of-its-kind event. The company also manages the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series and Red Man Tournament Trail.
“The demand for competitive fishing events of all species is at an all-time high,” declared Operation Bass chairman Irwin L. Jacobs. “The time is right for walleye fishing and its participants to step up and enjoy the same big time fishing opportunities that bass fishermen have been benefiting from since the inception of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour.”
Wal-Mart, as the title sponsor of the historic tournament as well as the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and EverStart Series programs, has made a major commitment to the massive fishing market, which boasts 55 million participants annually. Joining Wal-Mart as a presenting sponsor is Evinrude Outboards, which will award the winning pro angler an additional $100,000 if he/she meets the bonus cash guidelines. Additional sponsors are EverStart Batteries, Energizer, Garmin, Kellogg’s, Poulan/Weed Eater and Coleman.
Crestliner, Lund, and Ranger boat owners will advance to the event from select walleye tournaments and will receive their respective division designations based upon their finish in qualifying events. With an unprecedented purse and heightened media attention, the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship brings walleye tournament fishing to a new level of awareness and prestige. The walleye championship boasts a cash payback to anglers of over 300 percent.
Anglers will compete in three elimination rounds to determine a winner. The full field will compete for two days, after which the field will be cut to the top 12 pros and co-anglers who will then compete for one day in the second round, with the top six pros advancing to the final day of competition. Catch weights carry over on the first two days, however, anglers will start the second and final rounds of competition from zero.
Entry fees for the lucrative tournament are $1,500 for entrants in the pro angler division and $750 for those in the co-angler division. All competitors will receive a minimum payback equal to their entry fee provided they have met the sponsor bonus money qualifications.
The winner of the RCL Walleye Championship tournament’s Pro Division competition will receive the largest guaranteed first place cash prize in the history of walleye fishing – $150,000 – and the opportunity to collect an additional $250,000 in sponsor bonus prize money from Ranger, Crestliner, Lund and Evinrude Outboards. The winner of the Co-Angler Division will receive $75,000 and the opportunity to collect an additional $75,000 in sponsor bonus cash.
The Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship will air on ESPN 2 later this fall. JM & Associates will produce the event. The company also produces the Fishin’ Hole, FLW Tour series and the new Outdoor Games for ESPN.