HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Anglers and fishing fans have teamed up with FLW Outdoors and its sponsors to help preserve and enhance the bass population on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Ark. Over $6,000 was donated for a sport-fishing support station that will assist in implementing conservation measures on Lake Hamilton.
During the final event of the 2005 Wal-Mart FLW Tour, FLW Outdoors contributed $5,000 to local fisheries-enhancement needs through the FishAmerica Foundation, as it does at every tour destination. The July 13-16 Forrest L. Wood Championship on Lake Hamilton yielded another $1,332 for the cause through fans and competitors who purchased special wristbands.
New in 2005, FLW Outdoors, FAF and BP-Castrol are administering a conservation program through which the wristbands, which signify support for the preservation and restoration of America’s great fisheries, are sold for a minimum of $1 each. Proceeds are donated to a local fisheries-enhancement project.
The $6,332 donation to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission will pay for a 1,600 square foot building that will include a tournament weigh-in stage, aerated holding tanks, a weigh-in table, a live release trailer, an information center, and restrooms.
According to Colton Dennis, black bass biologist with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, the multi-use station will address many needs on one of Arkansas’ most popular lakes.
“This is a project that we’ve batted around for a couple years,” said Dennis. “We will now be able to educate these anglers on how to better recycle their fish.”
Dennis was particularly animated about the live-release trailer which will be used to re-distribute fish around the lake. The use of the trailer, which can hold up to 400 pounds of fish, will minimize the stockpiling of tournament-caught fish near the weigh-in site and consequently decrease fish mortality.
“We really like the idea of a live-release trailer,” he said. “If you move these fish around, they’ll recover faster. On the other hand, if you continue to stockpile fish, you put them in an area where forage is limited.”
The wristband portion of the donation was made possible through the corporate support of BP-Castrol. Castrol has been an FLW Outdoors sponsor since 2002 and continues to find ways to give back to the community.
FLW Outdoors is an organization devoted to giving something back to the communities that host its tournaments. As it has in the past, FLW Outdoors donated a minimum of $5,000 at each of its seven Wal-Mart FLW Tour events in 2005 as well as at a variety of its other tournaments.
In 2000, FLW Outdoors announced its partnership with the FishAmerica Foundation, the conservation arm of the American Sportfishing Association. Since then, FLW Outdoors has directly donated nearly $250,000 and helped to generate more than $1 million for local conservation projects.
“It’s our job to ensure that we leave a fishery in better condition than when we arrive,” said Charlie Evans, president and CEO of FLW Outdoors. “We do this by maintaining an extremely high live-release rate and by contributing funds for conservation efforts in the host cities where our tournaments are held. Our long-term relationship with the FishAmerica Foundation demonstrates our commitment to continually improving America’s finest waters.”
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour 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, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.