$9.5 Million Wal-Mart FLW Tour to Visit Fort Loudoun-Tellico Lakes

March 06 , 2007

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The $9.5 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour will stop in Knoxville, Tenn., March 29-April 1 for its second regular-season tournament, presented by BP on Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes. Hosted by the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation, the tournament features 400 anglers from 36 states, Australia, Japan and Italy, with 200 of the world's best bass pros fishing for a top award of $125,000 cash. Two hundred co-anglers will compete for a top award of $25,000 cash.

“Loudoun-Tellico has all three types of bass – largemouth, smallmouth and spots – so anglers are going to be able to do just as well targeting smallmouth as the guys who are going after largemouth,” said BP team pro David Walker of Sevierville, Tenn., who has earned more than $450,000 in FLW Outdoors events. “The fish should be in a prespawn pattern, so the possibility for large stringers is definitely there.”

Walker said crankbaits are traditionally a popular choice when fishing Loudoun-Tellico, although he admits many different power-fishing techniques will be effective. He predicts relatively normal lake conditions – stained water in the upper 50 degree range – barring any major weather system just before the tournament.

“I think it will take over 30 pounds to make the cut, if Loudoun-Tellico fishes the way it normally does,” said Fujifilm team pro Wesley Strader of Spring City, Tenn. “It usually takes 18 to 20 pounds to win a single-day tournament.”

“There hasn't been a major tournament like an FLW Tour event here in a long time, if ever,” Walker added. “There are a lot of outdoorsmen in this area, and a lot of bass fishermen in particular. The turnout should be huge, and we're really looking forward to this event.”

Anglers will take off at 7 a.m. Eastern time each day from the Tellico Recreational Area Ramp located at the junction of highways 321 and 444 in Lenoir City, Tenn. Thursday and Friday's weigh-ins, March 29-30, will also be held at the Tellico Recreational Area Ramp beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday's weigh-ins, March 31-April 1, will be held at the Knoxville Convention Center located at 701 Henley St. in Knoxville beginning at 4 p.m.

Reeder Chevrolet located at 4301 Clinton Highway in Knoxville will host Chevy Pro Night featuring Jimmy Houston, Larry Nixon, Luke Clausen, Kim Stricker, Dion Hibdon and David Fritts from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. These anglers, who together account for eight FLW Tour victories and more than $3 million in winnings, will visit with fans, sign autographs and pose for photos. Fans attending Chevy Pro Night at Reeder Chevrolet can also register to win fishing rods, fishing tackle, die cast Ranger boats and a trip for two to the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup championship and outdoor show in Hot Springs, Ark., courtesy of the Knoxville News Sentinel, where they could ultimately win a $53,000 Ranger Z20 powered by Yamaha.

Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, FLW Outdoors will host a free Family Fun Zone and outdoor show at the Knoxville Convention Center from noon to 4 p.m. each day. The Family Fun Zone is a chance for fishing fans to meet their favorite anglers and review products from Berkley, Lowrance, Ranger, Evinrude, Yamaha and other manufacturers while children are treated to fishing themed games and rides like the Ranger Boat simulator. The first 300 children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone Saturday will receive a free FLW Outdoors hat. On Sunday, the first 300 children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone will receive a free rod and reel combo. The drawing for the free trip to Hot Springs courtesy of the Knoxville News Sentinel will be held immediately following Sunday's 4 p.m. weigh-in. Participants must be present to win.

In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of 400 anglers competes in the two-day opening round for one of 10 slots in Saturday's competition based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for day three, and co-angler competition concludes following Saturday's weigh-in. The top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

The total purse for the Fort Loudoun-Tellico Lakes tournament is $1 million, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division. This makes the event the most lucrative tour-level bass tournament hosted in Tennessee in 2007.

Coverage of the tournament will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on April 29 and May 6 as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “FLW Outdoors” airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast internationally to 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 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.

With a $9.5 million cash purse, including three $1 million qualifiers and three $1.5 million opens during the regular season, this is the most lucrative FLW Tour season to date. Each event leads up to the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup presented by Castrol, which will be held Aug. 2-5 on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Ark. The prestigious championship and outdoor show hosted by the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau will feature 81 pros, 81 co-anglers and bass fishing's largest cash award – a potential $1 million first-place prize for the winning pro.

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 of nearly $43 million through 238 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 Wal-Mart.com.

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

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