ROGERS, Ark. – The $6.8 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour returns to Beaver Lake near Rogers March 31-April 3 for the seventh annual Wal-Mart Open presented by Tyson Foods Inc. The tournament’s $1.25 million cash purse makes it one of the richest regular-season events in competitive bass fishing, equaled only by the Forrest Wood Open in New York. Four hundred anglers from the United States, Japan and Australia are expected to compete in the event, with 200 of the world’s most elite pro anglers casting for a top award of $200,000. Two hundred co-anglers will compete for a top award of $40,000.
The Wal-Mart Open, long considered one of bass fishing’s most prestigious events, is one of three tournaments on the 2004 Wal-Mart FLW Tour with purses of $1.25 million or more. The $1.25 million Forrest Wood Open presented by Kellogg’s will wrap up the regular season on Lake Champlain June 23-26, after which the top 48 pros and 48 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the sport’s premier event, the $1.5 million FLW Tour Championship Aug. 11-14 on Logan Martin Lake in Birmingham, Ala. The championship, which is presented by Castrol, awards the winning pro $500,000 cash – the sport’s largest award.
This year’s Wal-Mart Open is held slightly earlier than in years past, occurring weeks before the traditional spawn. As such, the heavy largemouths that should anchor anglers’ limits will likely be staging on rocky main-lake points and along drop-offs in 5 to 7 feet of water.
According to Castrol pro Bobby Curtis of Siloam Springs, the days of winning a tournament on Beaver with spotted bass are over. “Anglers who aren’t able to pattern the largemouths aren’t even going to be in contention,” Curtis said. “The keys will be covering as much water as possible to locate the good staging areas and catching at least one 4-pound largemouth per day.” Big Beaver Lake bass will likely be caught with crawfish-pattern crankbaits and chrome/blue Rogues, and the competitor who lands a limit weighing upwards of 26 pounds in the final round will likely take the tournament crown.
Prairie Creek Marina in Rogers will host takeoffs Wednesday and Thursday morning at 7, Friday morning at 8 and Saturday morning at 6:30. Wednesday and Thursday’s weigh-ins will also be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday’s weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 2110 W. Walnut in Rogers beginning 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.
Country star Blake Shelton will be on hand Friday to perform a free concert at Wal-Mart following the semifinal-round weigh-in. Shelton, who first made his mark in 2001 with the No. 1 smash “Austin,” will perform that and other hits including “Ol’ Red” and “The Baby.”
The full field competes in the two-day opening round for one of 10 slots in Friday’s competition based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for day three, and co-angler competition concludes following Friday’s weigh-in. The 10 pros continue competition Saturday, with the winner determined by the heaviest two-day weight.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers.
Coverage of the Wal-Mart Open will be broadcast to 65 million subscribers of the Outdoor Life Network on the “FLW Outdoors” television program. A tournament preview show featuring bass-fishing legend Hank Parker will air April 18 at 1 p.m. Eastern time and April 22 at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Fishing fans can watch the tournament weigh-in with hosts Carlton Wing, Taylor Carr and Charlie Evans April 25 at 1 p.m. and April 29 at 5 p.m. Eastern time. Tournament veteran Larry Nixon will host a tournament wrap-up show May 2 at 1 p.m. Eastern time, and that show will re-air May 6 at 5 p.m. Eastern time.
Kentucky Lake near Benton, Ky., will host the fifth regular-season stop, a tournament presented by Pedigree, May 12-15, followed by the Forrest Wood Open presented by Kellogg’s on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., June 23-26.
Named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, the Wal-Mart FLW Tour is administered by FLW Outdoors, the world’s leading marketer of competitive fishing. Other FLW Outdoors-sanctioned tournament trails are the EverStart Series, the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League and the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997.