PORT ARANSAS, Texas – The Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Western Division will make its second of four $200,000 regular-season stops May 10-12 in Port Aransas, Texas. The lucrative tournament will feature as many as 150 redfish teams casting for a top award of $25,000 cash, guaranteed, and $25,000 in Ranger, Yamaha and Evinrude bonuses.
“A lot of the fish in this tournament will be back in the ponds, and if you can get back in the ponds, that’s where the heavier fish will be found,” said Team Castrol pro Chief Tauzin of Pearland, Texas, who, along with teammate Clark Jordan, finished fifth in the 2006 FLW Redfish Series Championship in Pensacola, Fla. “They’re still on the oyster beds in some of the deeper bays north of Port Aransas. A lot of boats will be around the Rockport area and all the way north to the Port O’Connor area spread out in the marsh, open bays and reefs. On the other hand, there will be boats that make the run into Laguna Madre in the Port Mansfield area.”
Tauzin predicts clear water for the tournament and said warmer weather should provide excellent fishing for competitors.
“You may not see many of them, but I think there will be some 16-pound sacks weighed in,” Tauzin said. “To get into the top five, you’re going to need about 29 pounds over two days. A three-day total of 43 pounds may be needed to win it.”
Tauzin said anglers will not be sight-casting for the most part. Instead, jerkbaits, spoons and topwaters will be the baits of choice. Tauzin said the 5-inch Berkley Gulp Jerkshad will see a lot of action during the tournament.
“The local guys, like Team Folgers pros Tommy Ramzinsky and Todd Adams and Team Land O’Lakes pros David Nesloney and David Nesloney Jr., will be tough to beat,” Tauzin said. “This tournament is in their backyard, and this is where they make their living.”
Anglers will take off at 6:30 Central time each morning from Port Aransas City Marina located at 301 J.C. Barr Blvd. in Port Aransas, Texas. Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will be held at the marina beginning at 3:30 p.m. daily. Saturday’s weigh-in will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Wal-Mart at 2501 W. Wheeler in Aransas Pass, Texas. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free, and the community is invited to attend the festivities.
The Port Aransas FLW Redfish Series event is hosted by the Port Aransas Chamber of Commerce/Tourist Bureau.
The winning team will receive a top award of $25,000. If Ranger contingency guidelines are met, the winning team will also receive a $12,500 cash bonus. If Yamaha or Evinrude contingency guidelines are met, the winning team will receive an additional $12,500 cash bonus for a total of $50,000.
The top 50 teams in the FLW Redfish Series based on points standings at the end of the season will advance to the $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Championship presented by BP Oct. 18-20 in Orange Beach, Ala. The winning team at the championship will earn as much as $100,000.
In FLW Redfish Series competition, 150 points are awarded to the winner, 149 for second, 148 for third, and so on. All teams that receive weight credit will receive points that determine team standings. All FLW Redfish Series events are three-day tournaments (Thursday, Friday and Saturday). The full field competes during the first two days, and the top five teams based on accumulated weight advance to day three. Final standings are determined by the total weight from all three days.
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, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, 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 of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
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 Walmart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.