‘FLW Outdoors’ to air walleye tournament from Titletown

Sept. 10 program to cover final qualifying event of $2.69 million Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour season

MINNEAPOLIS – Tune in Sunday, Sept. 10, to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for incredible open-water walleye action as the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour heads to Green Bay, Wis. The fourth and final qualifying tournament of the season, which included a full field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers, concluded with the winning pro claiming a cash prize of up to $100,000. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.

All week long, the world’s best walleye anglers have been meticulously plodding through Geano’s Reef in search of giant females. While the leaderboard has undergone substantial flip-flopping throughout the first three days of competition, pro Ted Takasaki has been a bastion of consistency. Each day Takasaki has calmly bagged 30 pounds or more to move closer and closer to his first FLW Walleye Tour victory.

In addition to winning the event, the East Gull Lake, Minn., pro also has a good chance at breaking the four-day weight record set by pro Pat Neu last year on Green Bay. Takasaki’s three-day total currently sits at 94 pounds, 11 ounces, meaning he would need only 18 pounds on day four to break Neu’s record of 111-8.

One angler fishing away from the crowd is Oneida, Wis., pro Wayne Butz. After catching over 25 pounds each day, Butz sits in second with a three-day total of 81 pounds, 1 ounce. While nearly every competitor is pulling crawler harnesses behind planer boards, Butz is also using 1/8-ounce yellow-and-orange jigs tipped with a night crawler. Watch as he puts his local knowledge to work on day four.

FSN also follows pro Dean Arnoldussen, perhaps the hottest open-water walleye angler on the planet. Living in nearby Appleton, Wis., Arnoldussen is no stranger to Green Bay; he won the FLW Walleye Tour Championship held on Green Bay in 2001. In third place with one day on the water remaining, his three-day combined weight stands at 76 pounds, 5 ounces.

The Sept. 10 show will also air the conclusion to the 2006 FLW Walleye Tour Angler of the Year race. The award, which rewards consistency, is given to the pro angler who accumulates the most points during the four qualifying events. Three anglers are still in prime position to capture AOY honors.

Coming into the Green Bay event, Dennis Lantzy led with 417 points. Lantzy brought 18 pounds, 13 ounces to the scale on day one, good for 48th place. In second was Jason Przekurat with 408 points. On day one, the Stevens Point, Wis., pro sacked 17-13 for 51st place. Lantzy is still sitting in the top spot for now, but watch out for hard-charging pro Tom Keenan. The Hatley, Wis., native came into the event in third place with 405 points. But after day one, he has unofficially leapfrogged Przekurat with a 20-pound, 4-ounce limit. He finished the day in 38th place and is only two points behind Lantzy.

FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon ET. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online show guide listing what events are coming up on “FLW Outdoors.”

FSN reaches more than 81 million homes through its network of 20 regional sports channels. Established in 1996, FSN is the only cable network that supplies national, regional and local sports programming. FSN serves as the cable TV home to 62 of the 82 MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States, and produces over 4,500 live events each year. FSN has an extensive catalog of original national programs, including “Best Damn Sports Show Period” and “Beyond the Glory” documentary series, along with national packages of collegiate sports. Based in Los Angeles, FSN is part of the vast FOX Sports television family. For the latest up-to-the-minute sports news and opinions, visit the FOX Sports/FSN website at www.FoxSports.com.

“FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it 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 service men and women stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.

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.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.