Bays de Noc Walleye Tour event airs Oct. 7

Full field of 150 boats competes in final qualifier

MINNEAPOLIS – Tune in Sunday, Oct. 7, to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for complete coverage of the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour event held on Bays de Noc in Escanaba, Mich. The fourth and final qualifying tournament of the $2.71 million season, which included a full field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers, concludes with the winning pro claiming a cash prize of $100,000. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.

After three days of long runs and big waves, Linwood, Mich., pro Steve Vande Mark is the man to beat with a three-day total weight of 58 pounds even and a 7-pound lead heading into the final day of competition. While most competitors are making long runs south toward Green Bay, Vande Mark is steering his Ranger east toward Big Bay de Noc. He prefers Big Bay because it is somewhat protected from the wind, yet still holds the 7- and 8-pound pigs. Within Big Bay, Vande Mark is fishing an area 35 miles from Escanaba known as Garden Peninsula. Throughout the week, he has been catching his fish in 22 feet of water on crawler harnesses trolled at 1.1 to 1.3 mph. He’s using bottom bouncers to present them on the bottom of the water column, and he is increasing his trolling speed as each day progresses. He prefers gold blades and chartreuse beads to give his presentation extra flash. Vande Mark is no stranger to walleye success. He won the 2005 Michigan Division Walleye League event on Saginaw Bay. But this is the Walleye Tour and a victory would mean $100,000. Not that he needs any extra incentive, but two weeks before the tournament Vande Mark and his fiance had a fire claim their home and most of their belongings. A tour-level win would be a heck of a way to begin rebuilding.



In second place is Bismarck, N.D., pro Troy Morris with a three-day total of 51 pounds, 1 ounce. Morris and his friend, BP pro Jason Przekurat, are the only two anglers who have caught a tournament limit of five walleyes each day. The two pros practice together and, not surprisingly, are sharing a stretch of water near Oconto, Wis. This area is full of hungry walleyes, but the problem is getting there. The trip is over 150 miles roundtrip from Escanaba.

While Morris is eyeing victory, Przekurat is shooting for his second Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year award. Coming into the final event of the season, the Stevens Points, Wis., native was in second place, four points behind leader Chris Gilman. In a typical year, the AOY race would have been decided much earlier, but this one will come down to the final day as two fierce competitors scratch and claw all the way to the end.

Also in contention is Beardsley, Minn., angler Kelly Klemm. This is the 22-year-old’s first appearance in the top 10 as a professional. With a solid performance at Bays de Noc, it looks as though Klemm will be the youngest pro to ever qualify for the FLW Walleye Tour Championship.

FSN is the industry leader in providing the most up-to-date technology in TV production. FSN puts viewers in the boats with the pros, shadowing them from sunrise until the final weigh-in using innovative camera work that gives fishing fans the most intimate viewing experience available.

FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern time. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes on “FLW Outdoors.”

FSN is broadcast to 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 more than 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 429 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, 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 tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.