GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Operation Bass, the nation’s premier bass tournament organization, will hold the first Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League (BFL) tournament in the Plains Division Feb. 17 on Lake of the Ozarks in Laurie, Mo. The event is the first of five Plains Division tournaments included in the new 119-event national series for weekend anglers.
Last spring Wal-Mart announced its title sponsorship of the popular Operation Bass Red Man Tournament Trail series that is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. The announcement marked the end of an era for Red Man, which became the tour’s original title sponsor in 1983 and helped Operation Bass pioneer affordable, close-to-home, weekend tournaments.
Operation Bass chairman Irwin L. Jacobs believes that Wal-Mart’s sponsorship of the BFL will open new marketing avenues for the retailer and the series. “Wal-Mart is committed to elevating sport fishing in America,” he said. “This sponsorship is a natural extension for them, as it will have a significant impact on their customers in grass roots markets. Wal-Mart customers and fishing enthusiasts are one and the same.”
Wal-Mart sponsorship of the BFL signals the company’s strong commitment to one of the nation’s most popular pastimes and bodes well for the future of the sport. In recent years, professional bass fishing has moved from the backwaters of southern impoundments to the mainstream largely due the big-money Wal-Mart FLW Tour and EverStart Series, both of which are Operation Bass programs.
“We are always looking for innovative ways to reach our customers,” said Mike McFadden, vice president, divisional merchandise manager for Wal-Mart. “Our support of the BFL is a new way to communicate with Wal-Mart customers who enjoy the outdoors and love to fish.”
The BFL features a boater and co-angler format to accommodate anglers of various skill levels. It also uses a 200-point scoring system that ensures equitable treatment of all competitors. Under the system, an angler receives 200 points for a win, 199 points for second, 198 points for third and so on. Every angler who receives weight credit during a tournament receives points.
The Feb. 17 weigh-in for Lake of the Ozarks will begin at approximately 2 p.m. at Millstone Lodge in Laurie. The winning boater will collect up to $6,000, and the winning co-angler will receive up to $3,000 based on a full field of 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers.
The Wal-Mart BFL will hold its second Plains Division tournament March 17 on Smithville Lake at Camp Branch Marina. Milford Lake will host the third tournament April 28, and Grand Lake will host the fourth tournament June 16. Truman Lake will be home to the division’s Super Tournament Sept. 8-9.
Nationwide, the BFL is divided into 22 divisions – each featuring four one-day qualifying tournaments and a two-day Super Tournament. Entry fees in each qualifying event are $150 for boaters and $75 for co-anglers. Entry fees for Super Tournaments are doubled, as are payouts. Each Super Tournament will award up to $12,000 to the winning boater and up to $6,000 to the winning co-angler.
After the qualifying events and the Super Tournaments are complete, the top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers from each division advance to one of six three-day regional tournaments. At the regionals, boaters compete for a new Chevy Truck and a Ranger boat. Co-anglers fish for a Ranger boat. Anglers who have fished all five tournaments within a division but do not qualify for a regional can compete in the Chevy Trucks Wild Card Regional for a shot at qualifying for the $250,000 BFL All-American – one of the most lucrative post-season tournaments in competitive angling.
The top eight boaters and top eight co-anglers from each regional (four from the Western Regional) will advance to the All-American along with the top six boaters and top six co-anglers from the Chevy Wild Card. The All-American champion receives priority entry in the 2002 Wal-Mart FLW Tour. The top 30 anglers from each BFL division may advance to the 2002 EverStart Series – the pathway to the FLW Tour.
The support given to bass fishing by the world’s leading retailer is unprecedented. Wal-Mart’s initial sponsorship of the FLW Tour in 1997 was the first sponsorship in the company’s history. Wal-Mart then expanded its involvement in the sport in 1998 as title sponsor of the EverStart Series. EverStart is Wal-Mart’s private label automotive and marine battery. It is also the No. 1 selling retail automotive and marine battery in the world.
Awards for the 2001 BFL season could reach $5.7 million based on full fields at each tournament.