Panama City Redfish Series event to air June 29

FSN to televise third Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Eastern Division tournament

MINNEAPOLIS – Tune in Sunday, June 29 to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series event from Panama City, Fla. The third of four Eastern Division tournaments will highlight the best redfish anglers in the world as they compete for a top prize of $50,000 cash.

The “FLW Outdoors” saltwater series is a reality-format show told from the anglers’ perspective. Each week the top-five finalists are followed from takeoff to weigh-in, allowing the audience to feel the anglers’ nerves, listen to their strategy and learn from their mistakes. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.

For the second day in a row, the redfish team of Blair Wiggins of Cocoa, Fla., and Travis Tanner of Titusville, Fla., were the only team to break the 15-pound mark. After two days of competition, their total of catch of four redfish weighing 31 pounds, 7 ounces gives them a 3 1/2-pound lead going into the final day. After hanging up his redfish tackle and announcing his retirement from the sport immediately after winning the 2006 FLW Redfish Series Championship, Wiggins returned to tournament fishing in 2008. At the second Redfish Series Eastern Division qualifier in Sarasota, Fla., Wiggins and his new partner led the event after day two only to zero in the finals and fall to fifth. In Panama City, Wiggins and Tanner are using D.O.A. CAL series plastics in electric-chicken color. Hungrier than ever, the popular television host for Addictive Fishing and Tanner are determined to clinch their first Redfish Series victory as a team.

While the leading team is making a long run in a big bay boat, the team Frank Jackson of St. Petersburg, Fla., and Charles Espenlaub of Lutz, Fla., are fishing very close to Bay Point Marina in a small skiff. Rather than traveling in search of aggressive fish, Jackson and Espenlaub are trying the stealth sight-fishing approach. Slowly creeping up on spooky redfish, the team is throwing D.O.A. Bait Busters to match the mullet in the area. Thus far, the plan has worked to the tune of 27 pounds, 15 ounces, good for second place after the two-day opening round.

In third place is Wiggins’ former teammate, Tadd Vandemark of Key Largo, Fla., and Kevin Shaw of Corpus Christi, Texas. Vandemark and Shaw are making one of the longest runs of the event, traveling roughly 80 miles to the east. On day one, the team caught 13 pounds, 6 ounces and they followed that up with 14 pounds, 1 ounce on day two. If things go well on day three, Vandemark and Shaw think they can pull 15 pounds from their area.

FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sunday mornings. 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.

Tournament anglers 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.

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.