Redfish Series to start season in Punta Gorda

Eastern Division event to take place Feb. 21-23 in Florida

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. – The Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Eastern Division will make its first $170,000 regular-season stop Feb. 21-23 in Punta Gorda, Fla. The lucrative tournament will feature as many as 125 redfish teams casting for a top award of $50,000.

“The fish are there,” said Team National Guard pro Fred Winters of nearby Port Charlotte, Fla., who, along with teammate Diane Winters, had the best year of his three-year career in the FLW Redfish Series in 2007. “We’re seeing little groups on the edges of bars and in potholes.”

Winters said redfish in late February traditionally can be found on flats feeding on early baby crabs and shrimp. He noted, however, that a cold front could blow through the area and make things challenging for anglers during the event.

“In this event, it will all depend on the weather,” Winters said. “A cold front could hurt things for a couple of days by pushing the fish a little deeper. Even a half of a degree change in the water temperature can have an affect on those fish.”

Winters projected teams would need a weight of 21 to 23 pounds to make the top-five cut after the first two days of competition. He said it could take a three-day weigh of anywhere from 32 to 34 pounds to win the tournament.

Anglers will take off at 7 Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings from Laishley Park located at 100 E. Retta Esplanade in Punta Gorda. Weigh-ins will also be held at Laishley Park beginning at 3 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free, and the community is invited to attend the festivities.

The Punta Gorda FLW Redfish Series event is hosted by the City of Punta Gorda.

The top award of $50,000 includes $20,000 cash plus a $15,000 cash bonus from Ranger Boats and a $15,000 cash bonus from Yamaha or Evinrude if contingency guidelines are met.

The top 50 teams in each division of the 2008 FLW Redfish Series, based on Land O’Lakes Team of the Year points standings at the end of the season, will advance to the $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship Oct. 30-Nov. 1 in Biloxi, Miss. The winning team at the championship will earn as much as $100,000.

Tournament pros aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing, FLW Outdoors offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. 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.

In FLW Redfish Series competition, 125 points are awarded to the winner, 124 for second, 123 for third, and so on. All teams that receive weight credit will receive points that determine Land O’Lakes Team of the Year 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.

Coverage of the FLW Redfish Series stop in Punta Gorda will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program airing March 23. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.

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.

Awards are based on a full field of 125 boats in every tournament.