$1.26 million Wal-Mart Open returns to Beaver Lake
ROGERS, Ark. – The $5.76 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour will bring its most lucrative regular-season tournament, the $1.26 million Wal-Mart Open, to Beaver Lake April 9-12. The Wal-Mart Open, one of the premier events in professional bass fishing, has been staged on Arkansas’ Beaver Lake near Wal-Mart headquarters since 1998.
A full field of 175 pros and 175 co-anglers representing 34 states, Canada and Japan will compete in the four-day tournament, which is presented by Wal-Mart. Pros will be in the hunt for a top award of $200,000 cash while co-anglers duke it out for a $40,000 top cash award. Thanks to a $210,000 increase to the total purse for this year’s event, the pro finishing in 50th place will earn $10,000. Cash payments are awarded through 75th place.
The Wal-Mart Open is one of three million-dollar events on the 2003 Wal-Mart FLW Tour. The $1 million Forrest Wood Open will take place on Wheeler Lake in Florence, Ala., June 18-21, and the historic $1.5 million Jacobs Cup world championship of bass fishing and outdoor show is scheduled for Sept. 10-13 on the James River in Richmond, Va. The winner of the Jacobs Cup will earn an unprecedented $500,000 cash, the largest guaranteed award in the history of competitive bass fishing. The Jacobs Cup will also feature a free country music concert and the FLW Outdoors Celebrity Challenge to benefit prostate cancer research at City of Hope in southern California. In 2003, the road to Richmond, Va., is paved with gold.
Anglers who catch big largemouths will likely take home the Beaver Lake crown if the water continues to warm, according to Kellogg’s pro and perennial Wal-Mart Open contender Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas. Sight-fishing is typically a productive pattern on Beaver, but if the area experiences heavy rains or continued cold weather like that which recently rolled through the area, those bass might be pushed into deeper water, making sight-fishing nearly impossible.
“I think that we are going to be looking at the first wave of fish to move up,” Wendlandt said. “Maybe 40 or 50 percent of the field will be sight-fishing, but not everyone. Carolina rigs, small finesse worms, crankbaits and jerkbaits will probably all be productive.”
Wendlandt has finished in the top 10 at the Wal-Mart Open each of the last four years, including two wins. He currently holds the No. 5 spot in Land O’ Lakes Angler of the Year points standings and, by all accounts, should perform well again at Beaver. Another likely contender for the tournament’s top award is current points leader Dan Morehead of Paducah, Ky. His consistency in 2003 – three top-25 finishes, including two top-10s – should continue running full steam ahead when the tour stops in Arkansas.
Anglers will take off each day at 6:30 a.m. from Prairie Creek Marina in Rogers except for Friday, April 11, when takeoff starts at 8 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh-ins, April 9-10, will also be held at the marina starting at 3 p.m., and Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins, April 11-12, will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2110 W. Walnut in Rogers at 5 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. The community is encouraged to attend the Family Fun Zone Friday and Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family to enjoy. The Fun Zone will open Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m. Immediately following Friday’s weighing, multiplatinum recording artist Tracy Byrd will perform a free concert in the Family Fun Zone.
On Wednesday, April 9, fishing fans are invited to Kent Rylee Chevrolet at 2100 S. 8th St. in Rogers to meet members of the Chevy Truck Pro Staff, including Tommy Biffle, Jimmy Houston, David Fritts, Larry Nixon and Kim Stricker. These top bass-fishing pros will be available for autographs, fishing tips and photos from 6 to 8 p.m.
Complete coverage of the Beaver Lake event will be broadcast to 55 million subscribers of the Outdoor Life Network in the weeks following the tournament on “FLW Outdoors.” Joining “FLW Outdoors” hosts Charlie Evans, Carlton Wing and Taylor Carr for the 2003 season are fishing legends Hank Parker and Larry Nixon.
Parker will be featured alongside Wendlandt, 2002 Wal-Mart Open champion Andre Moore and Evinrude pro Dion Hibdon in a Wal-Mart Open preview that will air Saturday, April 12, at 7 p.m. EST. The broadcast will be shown again Sunday, April 13, at 1 p.m. EST. “FLW Outdoors” will feature tournament highlights with Evans, Wing and Carr Saturday, April 19, and Sunday, April 20, followed by a strategic recap with Nixon Saturday, April 26, and Sunday, April 27. “FLW Outdoors” airs every Saturday at 7 p.m. and every Sunday at 1 p.m. EST on OLN through July 5. Special Jacobs Cup episodes will air in September.
FLW Outdoors and the Wal-Mart FLW Tour are named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.
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