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The Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Eastern
Division will make its second $170,000 regular-season stop
March 13-15 in
Sarasota, Fla. The lucrative tournament will feature as
many as 125 redfish teams casting for a top award of
$50,000.
“I think it’s a great place to have a tournament,” said
Castrol pro Billy Harris of Bradenton, Fla., who, along with
teammate Warren Girle, has six top-10 finishes in FLW
Redfish Series competition since 2005. “Everything will be
dependent on the weather.
“March is about a month away from being clear of winter
weather and cold fronts,” he added. “If we have good
weather, the whole field will have access to places as far
north as Clearwater, St. Pete and Tampa Bay all the way down
to Charlotte Harbor. The field can spread out and have an
opportunity to go anywhere.”
Harris said that schools of redfish could be found in all of
these areas in March. He noted, however, that if the weather
is poor, anglers won’t be able to make long runs and the
fishing will get tough.
“If the weather is good the teams will need 13 to 14 pounds
a day to make the top-five cut,” he said. “If the weather is
bad, it may take as little as 10 to 11 pounds a day to make
the cut.”
Harris said his team will be using soft-plastics and
jerkbaits to catch their fish.
Anglers will take off at 6:30 Thursday and Friday mornings
and 7 on Saturday morning from
Sarasota Hotel & Marina located at 7150 North Tamiami
Trail in
Sarasota. Weigh-ins will also be held at
Sarasota Hotel & Marina beginning at 3 p.m. Thursday and
Friday. Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the
Wal-Mart store located at 13140 S. Tamiami Trail in
Osprey beginning at
4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free, and the community is
invited to attend the festivities.
The
Sarasota FLW Redfish Series event is hosted by the
Sarasota Hotel & Marina.
The top award of $50,000 includes $20,000 cash plus a
$15,000 cash bonus from Ranger Boats and a $15,000 cash
bonus from Yamaha or Evinrude if contingency guidelines are
met.
The top 50 teams in each division of the 2008 FLW Redfish
Series, based on Land O’Lakes Team of the Year points
standings at the end of the season, will advance to the
$300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship Oct.
30-Nov. 1 in Biloxi, Miss. The winning team at the
championship will earn as much as $100,000. |
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Tournament pros 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.
In FLW Redfish Series competition, 125 points are awarded to
the winner, 124 for second, 123 for third, and so on. All
teams that receive weight credit will receive points that
determine Land O’Lakes Team of the Year standings. All FLW
Redfish Series events are three-day tournaments (Thursday,
Friday and Saturday). The full field competes during the
first two days, and the top five teams based on accumulated
weight advance to day three. Final standings are determined
by the total weight from all three days.
Coverage of the FLW Redfish Series stop in Sarasota will be
broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in
the United States as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television
program airing April 13. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in
Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429
million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia,
Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a
distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the
most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The
program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most
markets. Check local listings for times in your area.
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.
Awards are based on a full field of 125 boats in every
tournament. |
