$1.82 Million Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour to Visit Fort Pierce

May 17 , 2006

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — The $1.82 million Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour – the most lucrative kingfish tournament trail in the world – is headed to Ft. Pierce, Fla., for the circuit's second regular-season stop presented by Raymarine June 1-3. As many as 125 teams will be competing in the tournament, which features a $330,000 cash purse.

Teams of two to five anglers each will fish for a top award of as much as $100,000 cash. The teams will also be vying for valuable points that could earn them a berth into the no-entry-fee $500,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship in Mount Pleasant, S.C., Nov. 9-11 for a shot at as much as $150,000.

As always in southern Florida, the weather will play a crucial role in the outcome of the tournament.

“If the water is clear and the weather is nice, there will be some big fish caught,” said Terry Grantham of Florence, S.C., captain of the My Three Sons team. “There's a new moon now, so it will be next to nothing by the time the tournament starts.”

Under a full moon, the bigger fish are able to feed more at night due to the available light. With less light during the night, Grantham believes that the bigger fish will bite better during the day.

“There's a lot of bait down there for the fish to choose from – blue runners, mullet and ribbon fish. Whatever they seem to be biting better, I would deploy more of and look for the big bite,” Grantham said.

Grantham believes it will take two kingfish with a combined weight of approximately 90 pounds to win the event.

“Ft. Pierce is a great place to fish,” said Grantham, whose team took home $100,000 by winning the season opener in Sarasota, Fla., on April 15. “This time of year kingfish begin their migration north from the Keys. The fish at Ft. Pierce are what I call resident fish in that there is so much available bait there that they never have to leave. That's why there are always big kings caught during this tournament.”

Teams will take off from Ft. Pierce Marina located at 1 Avenue A in Ft. Pierce at 6:30 each morning. Scales open at 3 p.m. and all teams must check-in by 5 p.m. The morning start and weigh-in are free and open to the public. Saturday's weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 5100 Okeechobee Road in Ft. Pierce beginning at 4:30 p.m.

The full field will compete Thursday and Friday then be cut to the top five teams for Saturday. Winners are determined based upon the heaviest kingfish from Thursday or Friday plus the heaviest kingfish from Saturday.

The winning team earns $40,000 cash. If the team captain is the original owner of a Hydra-Sports, Seaswirl or Wellcraft boat that is used during the tournament, the team also receives a $30,000 bonus. Additionally, if the winning captain is the original owner of a qualifying Yamaha or Evinrude outboard that is used during the tournament, the team will receive another $30,000 bonus for a total award of $100,000.

Every team that receives weight credit in a tournament earns points that determine final standings. Two hundred points are awarded to the winner, 199 points for second, 198 points for third, and so on. The top 50 teams at the end of the regular season will advance to the championship.

Coverage of the Ft. Pierce tournament hosted by the St. Lucie Chamber of Commerce will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States July 23 as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “FLW Outdoors” airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 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. 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.

A limited number of openings are still available in the Ft. Pierce tournament, which has a $1,500 entry fee. Teams may register online at www.flwoutdoors.com or by calling 270-252-1000. Entries will also be accepted during on-site registration May 31 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Panther Woods Country Club located at 9425 Meadowood Drive in Ft. Pierce, Fla. The field, however, is capped at a maximum of 125 boats.

The Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour will stop in Beaufort, S.C., Aug. 10-12 for its third regular-season event, presented by Yamaha, followed by the last qualifying event, powered by Tyson, in Southport, N.C., Sept. 21-23.

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, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.5 million through 235 events in 2006.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. 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.

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