Berkley, Abu Garcia announce pro angling team

Vida, Newby headline new additions

MINNEAPOLIS – Berkley and Abu Garcia, two of the biggest names in fishing, announced today the members of its angling team set to compete on various FLW Outdoors circuits in 2008. Team Berkley will comprise Glenn Browne, George Jeane Jr., Mark Goines, Kevin Vida and Sam Newby. While Browne, Jeane and Goines return to Team Berkley, Vida and Newby represent new additions.

Newby, who won both the 2002 Wal-Mart FLW Tour qualifier on Lake Champlain and the 2005 Stren Series Championship, will run a boat with a Berkley Trilene wrap in 2008. Coincidentally, both of Newby’s major victories came by the slimmest of margins – 1 ounce. In his FLW Outdoors career, the Pocola, Okla., pro has accumulated over $600,000. As a new member of the Berkley team, Newby will be primarily responsible for promoting the new Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line as he competes on the FLW Tour, the Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Eastern Division and the Stren Series Central Division.

Late in 2007, Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon made waves in the bass-fishing industry as the strongest fluorocarbon line available. At the final National Guard Western Division qualifier of the 2007 FLW Series on Clear Lake, numerous pros were muscling 10-pound California bass with near-invisible 8-pound-test. Newby, one of the best jig fishermen in the game, is excited to represent such a popular product. At the Stren Series Central Division finale on Lake of the Ozarks, Newby threw 17-pound fluorocarbon as he targeted largemouths under snarly structure that included docks, boat lifts and cables.

“I started using it last year and I absolutely love it,” said Newby, who used the product en route to a third-place finish on Lake of the Ozarks. “I now use it for jig fishing, swimbait fishing, worm fishing – just about everything but topwater.”

Vida is a renowned smallmouth assassin from Clare, Mich. He has won seven FLW Outdoors-administered events, four in the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and three in the Stren Series. He is also a mainstay on the FLW Tour, earning over $60,000 in that circuit alone last season. In total, his career earnings with FLW Outdoors are nearly $500,000. In 2008, Vida will fish out of a Berkley Gulp!-wrapped boat as he competes on the FLW Tour. Berkley Gulp! is a line of baits with which Vida is very familiar. In fact, the veteran pro has been sponsored by Berkley since the beginning of his career.

Browne, an FLW Tour mainstay, will once again run a Berkley-wrapped boat in 2008. Jeane will fish out of an Abu-Garcia boat on the FLW Tour as will Goines in the Stren Series.

Tammy Cox, field services manager for Berkley, said, “We are very excited about the new additions to our team and look forward to seeing them succeed on the FLW tournament trails.”

Tournament pros like Browne, Jeane, Goines, Vida and Newby aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing, FLW Outdoors will be awarding the largest fantasy sports payout in history. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player’s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.