SOUTHPORT, N.C. – The new $1.8 million Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series will make its second North Carolina Division stop Aug. 19 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 Southport will be one of the richest regional kingfish tournaments in the state. Tack on Hydra-Sports, Wellcraft, Yamaha and Evinrude 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.
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. Aug. 18 at the Wal-Mart store located at 1675 N. Howe St. in Southport. The field, however, is capped at a maximum of 100 boats.
“I think the fishing is going to be pretty good,” said Team Blu By U Captain Welsh Carson. “I think we will see a few 40-pounders brought in.”
Carson, whose team won the last Carolina Division tournament at Southport, believes that bait and water temperature will be the two most critical factors of the event.
“The key is to find good bait and get it down to the thermo cline where the fish are hanging out,” he said. “The more successful teams will get the bigger bites deep, but you can still catch them on top.”
Menhaden will most likely be the bait of choice, although ribbon fish, spanish mackerel and mullet are all good choices on downriggers, Carson said.
Aside from cash, teams competing in Southport 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.
Teams will take off from the South Harbor Village Marina located at 4909 Fish Factory Road in Southport at 6:30 Saturday morning, Aug. 19. The scales open at 3 p.m. and teams must check in by 5 p.m. The morning start and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
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 Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce is hosting the event. For more information, visit their Web site at southport-oakisland.com.
The final regular-season North Carolina Division tournament will be held Sept. 16 in Atlantic Beach, N.C. Every qualifying 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 presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
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.