MAYPORT, Fla. – The $1.9 million Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series – the most lucrative redfish tournament trail in the world – is headed to Mayport April 29-30 for the second Eastern Division event. Up to 150 teams will be competing in the tournament, which features a $200,000 cash purse.
Anglers, competing in two-man teams, will fish for a top award of as much as $50,000. Competitors will also be vying for valuable points that could earn them a berth into the no-entry-fee $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship in Mobile, Ala., Oct. 27-29 for a shot at as much as $100,000.
Captain Jeff Hagaman of Tampa, part of the two-man winning team in the inaugural Redfish Series event at Sarasota in March, said this tournament could be tough. “Mayport is a very tidal-influenced fishing area,” Hagaman said. “Most guys will fish like they fish for bass.” Sight-fishing, a mainstay pattern for many redfish anglers, will be tough in this tournament, according to Hagaman, so anglers will most likely blind cast to promising areas. The competition should be very interesting.
The Mayport Boat Ramp in Jacksonville will host daily takeoffs and weigh-ins at 6 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.
Teams will compete for two days to determine the winner based on accumulated weight.
The winning team earns $25,000 cash. If a member of the winning team is the original owner of a Ranger, Champion, Aquasport, or Wellcraft boat or a Hydra Sports 1900, 2000 or 2300 Bay Bolt that is used during the tournament, the winners also receive a $12,500 bonus. Additionally, if a member of the winning team is the original owner of a Yamaha outboard that is used during the tournament, the winners also receive a $12,500 bonus from Yamaha for total award of $50,000.
Every team that receives weight credit in a tournament earns points that determine angler standings. Two hundred points are awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, 198 points for third, and so on. The top 50 teams from each of the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series’ two divisions – Eastern and Western – will advance to the championship.
Each Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Division features four regular-season tournaments.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League and Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour.
For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse this Web site or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.