Sept. 12-15 event offers world’s richest bass-fishing purse
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Fifty professional bass anglers and 50 co-anglers representing 24 states are prepping for the final showdown of the $4.45 million 2001 Wal-Mart FLW Tour on Lake Champlain. At stake in the championship event is a top award of $250,000 in the Pro Division – the largest cash award of any professional bass fishing series.
The star-studded field of anglers that will be casting for the sport’s top award and most prestigious title Sept. 12-15 includes Chevy Pro Staffers Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark.; Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Mo.; David Fritts of Lexington, N.C.; Tom Mann Jr. of Buford, Ga.; Tommy Biffle of Wagoner, Okla.; and Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year Kevin VanDam of Kalamazoo, Mich.
Other perennial contenders making repeat appearances include the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s top all-time money winner, Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo.; reining Wal-Mart FLW Tour champion and Team Black & Decker angler Dion Hibdon of Stover, Mo.; Team CITGO angler and winner of the first Ranger M1 tournament Darrel Robertson of Jay, Okla.; and 2000 Angler of the Year and Team Kellogg’s anchor Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas.
The Co-Angler Division features a strong contingent from Arkansas led by Eagle Co-Angler of the Year Wesley Burnett of Hot Springs with five top-25 finishes in six qualifying events this season. W.D. (Hoot) Gibson of Bryant turned in three top-10 performances including a win at the Wal-Mart Open on Beaver Lake, and Frank Divis Sr. of Fayetteville strung together thee top-20 finishes including a win on the Pascagoula River.
If past performance is any indication, Billy Joyce of Fayetteville, Ga., and Chris Rand of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., also appear to be top contenders with three top-20 finishes of their own. Additionally, Judy Israel of Clewiston, Fla., a top-notch competitor and the only female qualifier, could make history with a victory on Lake Champlain. A win in the Co-Angler Division is worth $25,000 cash.
Lake Champlain, which ranks as the sixth largest freshwater lake in the United States, is renowned for having a vast number of both largemouth and smallmouth bass. In September, however, most anglers will probably be targeting quality smallmouths that should be feeding along rock ledges in the lake’s clear deep water. Largemouth bass will most likely play the role of spoiler if conditions are right by helping a few anglers who fall behind early to gain substantial ground on the leaders before the close of the two-day opening round.
“This is going to be an exciting championship,” said Bill Taylor, tournament director for the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. “With the quantity and quality of bass to be caught in Lake Champlain, it’s going to be anybody’s championship. The final outcome could come down to just a few ounces difference between first and second.”
The 2001 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship presented by CITGO features tournament winners and the top 44 pros and co-anglers based on point totals after six qualifying events. During the championship each pro fishes from the front of his boat and controls its movement while co-anglers fish from the back of each boat. Anglers in both divisions will compete for two days to make the opening round cut. Only the top 10 anglers in each 50-man division will fish during the one-day semifinal round. Co-angler competition ends after the semifinal round, and the top five pros advance to the final day of competition. Catch weights carry over during the opening round but are cleared for the semifinal and final rounds.
Competition begins at 6:30 a.m. Sept. 12 and 13 at Mooney Bay Marina in Plattsburgh followed by 3 p.m. weigh-ins at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 25 Consumer Square in Plattsburgh. Takeoff from Mooney Bay on Sept. 14 is scheduled for 7:30 a.m. followed by the semifinal round weigh-in at 5 p.m. at Wal-Mart. The final takeoff on June 23 is scheduled for 6 a.m. at Mooney Bay followed by the weigh-in at Wal-Mart starting at 3:30 p.m.
The Wal-Mart FLW Tour Family Fun Zone will be open in the Wal-Mart parking lot from 3 to 5 p.m. Sept. 14 and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 15. The Family Fun Zone is a festival featuring free children’s games, interactive displays and product samples.
Fishing fans also have the opportunity to win $1 million without leaving home. Fans who enter the Visa $2 Million Challenge at www.flwtour.com are eligible to win valuable sponsor prizes and one lucky fan could win $1 million if their Wal-Mart FLW Tour angler catches a state record largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass during the tournament. The angler catching the record bass would also receive $1 million.
Lake Champlain will benefit from a $5,000 donation by the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and the FishAmerica Foundation to the New York State Bureau of Fisheries for conservation efforts. The contribution is part of a $100,000 conservation partnership between Operation Bass, Wal-Mart and FishAmerica that is used to benefit fisheries and anglers across the country.
Sponsors of the 2001 Wal-Mart FLW Tour are ALPO Pet Foods, BFGoodrich Tires, Black & Decker, Chevrolet, CITGO, Coleman, Conseco, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Frito-Lay, Fujifilm, Kellogg’s, Land O’Lakes, Lowrance, Mercury Marine, Minn Kota, Pepsi, Plano Tackle Systems, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers Cruncher Bar, Timex, US Bank, Visa, Wal-Mart, Weed Eater, Wrangler and Yamaha Outboards. ACDelco spark plugs and oil filters, David sunflower seeds, ACT II, Excalibur, Strike King, Eagle Claw and Daiwa are associate sponsors of the 2001 tour.
Coverage of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship is scheduled to air Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. EST on ESPN.
For more information on the FishAmerica Foundation, visit the American Sportfishing Association Web site at www.asafishing.org.
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