FLW Outdoors Announces 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Schedule

June 20, 2006

BENTON, Ky. – FLW Outdoors announced its 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Tour schedule Tuesday during registration for the season's final qualifier on Lake Champlain. Next season's schedule takes the world's premier bass-fishing circuit to seven of the nation's best fisheries and includes a change from Wednesday through Saturday tournaments to Thursday through Sunday events.

The change to a Sunday finale in conjunction with the FLW Tour's previously announced move to public venues for 2007 is designed to accommodate a rapidly growing fan base and ever-increasing sponsor involvement in the sport.

“Our goal is to always provide the most fan-friendly experience possible,” said FLW Outdoors Chairman Irwin L. Jacobs. “Having our final weigh-ins on Sunday afternoons will allow more families and children to participate in FLW Tour events than ever before, and having the weigh-ins indoors at convention centers and other public venues will further enhance the fan experience.”

Competition kicks off Feb. 15-18 on Lake Travis in Austin, Texas, then continues on Fort Loudoun Lake in Knoxville, Tenn., March 29-April 1. Lake Norman in Charlotte, N.C., will host the third stop April 26-29 followed by the tour's annual visit to Beaver Lake in Rogers, Ark., May 17-20. The Potomac River in Washington, D.C., will host the fifth tour stop June 14-17, and Lake Erie in Detroit, Mich., will host the final qualifier July 12-15.

FLW Outdoors indicated that complete details of the 2007 Wal-Mart FLW Tour season will be released soon.

The $2 million Forrest Wood Cup presented by Castrol, which offers a top award of $1 million to qualifiers from the FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, TBF (The Bass Federation) and Ranger Owners' Tournaments, will be held on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 1-5.

“To date the FLW Tour Championship held in 2005 is the largest and most successful event we've held in the Hot Springs Convention Center,” said Steve Arrison, executive director for the Hot Springs Convention and Visitor's Bureau. “With anglers qualifying for a shot at the sport's first $1 million award through the BFL and TBF ranks as well as the FLW Tour and FLW Series, the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup and accompanying outdoor show promises to be the greatest fishing show on earth.”

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, Stratos Owners' Tournament Trail, 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 $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.

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 .

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

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