New Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series to open $1.8 million season in Sarasota, Fla.

Chase for $300,000 championship set to begin

SARASOTA, Fla. – The new $1.8 million Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series will open its Florida West Coast Division March 18 as teams compete for a guaranteed top award of $12,000 cash and a shot at the $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship.

With money like that on the line, the FLW Kingfish Series stop in Sarasota will be one of the richest regional kingfish tournaments in the state. Tack on Hydra-Sports, Wellcraft and Yamaha bonuses totaling $18,000, and the winner’s take could be as much as $30,000 cash – a sum that ranks the tournament as one of the most lucrative regional kingfish events in the nation. And it’s not too late to get in on the action. Openings are still available in the tournament, which has a $500 entry fee. Teams may register online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Entries will also be accepted during on-site registration from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 13140 South Tamiami Trail in Osprey, Fla. The field, however, is capped at a maximum of 100 boats.

“The reports that I’ve heard is that the fish are still down south and a little offshore,” said Team Tyson Captain Kevin Crofton of Wesley Chapel, Fla. “We’ll be looking for water in that 68- to 70-degree range. It’ll be tough to find, but hopefully we can find a riptide or something with warmer water.”

Crofton said making a prediction on the weight of a winning king mackerel is tough, but he would feel comfortable with a 30-pounder in the boat. As for the tactics top teams will likely use, he pointed out a variety of bait options. “We’ll be looking to pull a couple of ribbonfish, but we’ll use any live bait we can get,” he said. “Big blue runners, mullet, ribbonfish, ladyfish or small mackerel will all work.”

Aside from cash, teams competing in Sarasota will be vying for valuable points that could earn them a trip to the no-entry-fee, $300,000 FLW Kingfish Series Championship in Orange Beach, Ala., Oct. 26-28, which will be televised nationwide as part of “FLW Outdoors” on FSN (Fox Sports Net). This broadcast will reach approximately 80 million households in the United States plus 350 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making “FLW Outdoors” the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network. “FLW Outdoors” airs Sundays at 11 a.m. Eastern time.

One hundred and fifty points are awarded to the winning team in each tournament, 149 points for second, 148 points for third, and so on. The top 20 teams from each division will advance to the FLW Kingfish Series Championship. Additionally, the points champion from each division will receive a full year of free entries into the division of their choice for the 2007 FLW Kingfish Series. The top five teams from each division also qualify for the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, where they can compete for a share of $330,000 in every qualifier.

The second Florida West Coast Division tournament will be held April 1 in Englewood, Fla., followed by the division’s third and final tournament April 29 in Tierre Verde, Fla. Every event will feature a $100,000 purse based on a full field of 100 boats.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006. FLW Outdoors also recently announced the addition of a striped bass circuit, which will debut in May.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com 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 an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.