DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. – The $1.78 million Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series will make its first Upper Gulf Division stop June 30 in Dauphin Island, Ala., with teams competing for a guaranteed top award of $12,000 cash and a shot at qualifying for the $275,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship.
With money like that on the line, the FLW Kingfish Series stop in Dauphin Island will be one of the richest regional kingfish tournaments. Tack on Hydra-Sports, Scarab, Seaswirl, Wellcraft, Yamaha and Evinrude contingency bonuses totaling $18,000, and the winner’s take could be as much as $30,000 cash – a sum that ranks the tournament as one of the most lucrative regional kingfish events in the nation. The highest-finishing team running a Hydra-Sports, Scarab, Seaswirl or Wellcraft boat 25 feet or shorter with Evinrude or Yamaha engines will also receive a $2,000 bonus as part of the series’ new “25 and Under” contingency program. Individual trophies will also be awarded to the highest-finishing competitor under 16 years old and to the highest-finishing woman.
It’s not too late to get in on the action. Openings are still available in the tournament, which has a $500 entry fee per team. Teams may register online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Entries will be accepted during on-site registration from 4 to 6 p.m. June 29 at the Wal-Mart located at 5245 Service Road S. in Mobile, Ala. The field, however, is capped at a maximum of 100 boats.
The top three teams from the Dauphin Island tournament will advance to the three-day, $275,000 no-entry-fee Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship in Orange Beach, Ala., Oct. 4-6, along with the top three teams from each of the three South Carolina-Georgia and East Florida Divisions tournaments and the top 16 teams (who are not already qualified) from the division’s points race. These teams will compete against qualifiers from the North Carolina, Gulf and Upper Gulf divisions for a top award of $70,000. The points champion from each division will also advance directly to the $500,000 no-entry-fee Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship in Biloxi, Miss., Nov. 2-4, where they will compete against FLW Kingfish Tour teams for a top award of $150,000.
Both championships will be featured in one-hour episodes of “FLW Outdoors” broadcast to 80 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) households in the United States and more than 429 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom. This reach makes “FLW Outdoors” the most widely distributed fishing program 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.
Teams will take off from the Dauphin Island Marina located at 650 Lemoyne Drive in Dauphin Island, Ala., at 7 a.m. June 30. The scales open at 3 p.m., and all teams must check in by 5 p.m.
Mobile Bay Conventions and Visitors Bureau is hosting the event. For more information, visit www.mobilebay.org.
The next Upper Gulf Division tournament will be held July 28 in Cocodrie, La., followed by the final regular-season tournament in Galveston, Texas, Aug. 11.
Every qualifying event features a $100,000 purse based on a full field of 100 boats.
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 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 Walmart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.