ROGERS, Ark. – The nation’s top bass anglers are heading for Beaver Lake where they will compete April 17-20 for a share of $1.05 million cash in the Wal-Mart FLW Tour’s Wal-Mart Open, Arkansas’ most lucrative professional fishing tournament.
Beaver Lake has been home to the Wal-Mart Open since 1998, one year after the nation’s leading retailer joined FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading marketer of competitive fishing tournaments. Today the Wal-Mart Open is one of two Wal-Mart FLW Tour events featuring a cash purse in excess of $1 million. The second $1 million tournament, the Forrest Wood Open, will take place June 19-22 on Lake Champlain near Plattsburgh, N.Y.
One angler with a history of catching quality Beaver Lake bass is Team Kellogg’s angler and two-time Wal-Mart Open champion Clark Wendlandt. He will be among the 175 pros vying for the tournament’s $210,000 first-place award. Other top pros who will be casting for a win are Team Castrol angler David Dudley, who made fishing history earlier this month with a $700,000 win in the Ranger M1; reigning Land O’Lakes Angler of the year and current Angler-of-the-Year points leader Kevin VanDam; and Fujifilm pro and Wal-Mart FLW Tour champion Wesley Strader.
One hundred and seventy-five co-anglers will also fish the event, bringing the total tournament roster to 350 anglers representing 30 states and Japan. Each co-angler fishes from the back of a pro’s boat for a top award of $40,000 cash.
A favorite stop among Wal-Mart FLW Tour veterans, Beaver Lake boasts scenic beauty and excellent fishing. Anglers can expect to find plenty of largemouth and spotted bass. A few smallmouth may even find their way to the scale. This year’s tournament is a week earlier than last season’s stop, but stable water levels and a timely warm front could produce a remarkable catch.
The tournament’s final weigh-in will be broadcast live on PAX TV to more than 84 million households as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television series airing Saturdays at 3 p.m. EST, 2 p.m. CST and 3 p.m. PST.
Competition on Beaver Lake will commence at 7 a.m. April 17 at Prairie Creek Marina in Rogers. The marina will host each day’s take-off plus the opening round weigh-ins April 17 and 18 at 3 p.m. On April 19, fishing fans are invited to join country singing sensation Brad Paisley for a concert at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 2110 West Walnut in Rogers immediately following the semifinal round weigh-in that starts at 5 p.m. The FLW Tour Family Fun Zone at Wal-Mart will be open April 19 from 3 to 5 p.m. It will reopen at 11 a.m. April 20 followed by the final weigh-in at 2 p.m. Admission to the Fun Zone, weigh-ins and concert is free.
The Fun Zone offers fishing enthusiasts a chance to meet some of the nation’s top anglers, collect autographs and receive expert fishing advice. There are also plenty of children’s games, including the Fujifilm trout pond and Minn Kota inflatable slide, to entertain the family. Weigh-ins and a portion of the Fun Zone are housed inside a tent that can be heated or cooled in case of inclement weather.
Fishing fans can also meet their favorite Chevy Truck Pro Staff anglers April 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kent Rylee Chevrolet Olds in Rogers. VanDam will be there along with Larry Nixon, Tommy Biffle, Kim Stricker, David Fritts, Tom Mann Jr., Jimmy Houston and Denny Brauer.
Twenty anglers in each division advance to the semifinals after two days of competition. The top 10 pros from the semifinal round advance to the final day. Co-angler competition concludes after the semifinal round. Anglers advancing to the semifinal and final rounds start from zero and fish for the heaviest five-bass limit each day.
At the end of the season, the top 48 professionals and co-anglers advance to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship. This year’s FLW Tour Championship will feature a new, bracketed style format and an $800,000 cash purse – the largest in professional bass fishing. More than $300,000 was added to the championship purse for 2002. The winning pro receives $260,000 – the largest cash award of any competitive bass fishing series.
Added to the list of winners in 2002 is Beaver Lake itself thanks to a $5,000 donation from Wal-Mart FLW Outdoors and the FishAmerica Foundation to help fund construction of PVC fish shelters that will serve as artificial habitat. Each year, FLW Outdoors donations, in conjunction with matching funds, produce more than $100,000 for conservation projects that directly benefit tournament waters. Since 1998, Beaver Lake has benefited from $53,000 in grants generated by FLW Outdoors and the FishAmerica Foundation.
For more information on the FishAmerica Foundation, visit the American Sportfishing Association Web site at asafishing.org.
For more information on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, call (270) 362-4880.
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