BILOXI, Miss. – Team “M&M’S” captained by Randy Griffin of Hampstead, N.C., caught a 51-pound, 10-ounce kingfish Friday to retain the lead in the $500,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship presented by BP. If Griffin and his crew – Shayna Griffin and Richard Williams of Hampstead, N.C. and Ronald Miller Jr. of Wilmington, N.C., – can hold on to the lead for one more day, they stand to win as much as $150,000.
“We went fishing today but couldn’t find anything bigger,” said Griffin, whose team has already posted two other top-five finishes this season and has amassed more than $150,000 in career earnings with FLW Outdoors. “We just went out today and looked around trying to put up a plan B and C. We went and tried a few spots we haven’t been to this week. We were just trying to feel things out for Sunday.
“I feel pretty good about tomorrow. There’s always quite a bit of anticipation and adrenalin rush but you always have to make sure you make your plans and do your homework. Hopefully it will all come together and we will get that luck again. I think we are going to go back to the same spot where we went during day one unless we hear of any other schools of big fish this afternoon. I’d like to get another 50 pound fish. I think its going to take 100 pounds to win the whole thing.”
Griffin and his crew were dragging a combination of hardtails and ribbonfish on a four line spread with two on downriggers and two on top. The team reported catching a number of fish again today around a few key offshore oil rigs.
Rounding out the top five teams heading into the final day of competition are team “Collins” captained by Johnnie Sears of Fuquay Varina, N.C. (49-03); team “Hooligan” captained by Joe Winslow of Sunset Beach, N.C. (47-15); team “Reelin” captained by Marc Pincus of Hilton Head Island, S.C. (43-05); and team “Pro Marine USA.com/ Hannon’s Cannon” captained by Kevin Hannon of Seminole, Fla. (42-12).
Teams fished under perfect conditions today with sunny skies and clam seas which in return granted big weights. When the scales finally closed, 32 teams had landed kingfish weighing more than 900 pounds.
The FLW Kingfish Tour Championship is a three-day event. The entire field competes Friday and Saturday, and the top five teams, based on the heaviest fish from Friday or Saturday, compete Sunday. The winning team is determined by the heaviest kingfish from Friday or Saturday plus the heaviest kingfish from Sunday.
Teams will take off from the Isle of Capri Casino and Hotel of Biloxi located at 151 Beach Blvd. at 6:30 Sunday morning. The final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 3615 Sangani Blvd. in D’lberville, Miss., beginning at 4:30 p.m. The takeoff and weigh-in are free and open to the public.
The winning team earns $75,000 cash guaranteed plus a $37,500 bonus if the team captain is the original owner of a Hydra-Sports, Scarab, Seaswirl or Wellcraft boat that is used during the tournament. Additionally, if the winning captain is the original owner of a qualifying Yamaha or Evinrude outboard that is used during the tournament, the team will receive another $37,500 bonus for a total award of $150,000.
Coverage of the FLW Kingfish Tour Championship will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States Jan. 6, 2008, as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “FLW Outdoors” airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. “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 fishing 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.
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, call (270) 252-1000.