VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Team L`Heureux, captained by John L`Heureux of Virgiia Beach, Va., caught two striped bass weighing 35 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win $10,000 at the fourth and final stop of the Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series, a tournament presented by BP in Virginia Beach, Va.
The team – rounded out by Joseph L`Heureux, Kris Poston and Michael L`Heureux – fished in their first FLW Striper Series event at Virginia Beach.
In accordance with tournament regulations, both fish fell within a 28- to 34-inch slot limit and were successfully weighed in alive and subsequently released to fight again.
Rounding out the top five finishers were Team Right Hook, captained by Samuel Fisher of Heathsville, Va. (two fish, 35 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,800); Team Chesapeake Angler Magazine, captained by Maxwell King of Chesapeake, Va. (two fish, 34 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,530); Team Hat Trick, captained by David Thompson of Portsmouth, Va. (two fish, 33 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,260); and Team Triton/Mercury, captained by David Chieffo of Block Island, R.I. (two fish, 33 pounds, 2 ounces, $1,080).
Team Bass Pro Shops, captained by Matt Marlowe of Huntingtown, Md., won the FLW Striper Series points race with 540 points in 2007, edging out Team Fin Reaper, captained by Thomas Kacin of Trumbull, Conn., with 525 points. Team Bass Pro Shops will receive free entries for the 2008 Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series and a set of custom rods from Hydra-Sports, Wellcraft, Seaswirl and Triumph boats.
Teams, ranging in size from two to four anglers each, compete for a guaranteed top award of $10,000 cash in each event and as much as $20,000 cash from boat and engine bonuses from Hydra-Sports, Seaswirl, Triumph, Wellcraft, Evinrude and Yamaha.
Only artificial lures are allowed in FLW Striper Series competition, and each team may weigh in only two striped bass ranging in size from 28 to 34 inches per day. In order to avoid a 2-pound penalty, the fish must be kept alive in new keep-alive boxes developed by FLW Outdoors and KeepAlive Systems. These innovative boxes, based on proven live-release techniques, allow all FLW Outdoors striper tournaments to be catch-and-release events – thus helping to protect the nation’s striped bass population and ensure a vibrant fishery for generations to come.
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 $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 Wal-Mart.com.