FLW OUTDOORS ANNOUNCES 2006 WAL-MART FLW TOUR PURSE

BENTON, Ky. (June 21, 2005) - FLW Outdoors announced purse detail for its 2006 Wal-Mart FLW Tour schedule Tuesday following registration at the $1.25 million Chevy Open presented by Kellogg's on the Potomac River in Charles County, Md. Next season's schedule takes the $7.6 million tour to some of the nation's best largemouth and smallmouth fisheries over the course of four $900,000 qualifying events, two $1.25 million opens and the $1.5 million Forrest L. Wood Championship.

Competition kicks off Jan. 18-21 on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla., then continues on Lake Murray in Columbia, S.C., Feb. 8-11 and Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala., March 1-4. Beaver Lake in Rogers, Ark., will host the Wal-Mart Open April 5-8 followed by a stop on Kentucky Lake in Benton, Ky., May 10-13 and a tournament on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., June 21-24. The location for the Forrest L. Wood Championship, complete with its world-class boat and outdoor show, and the host site for the Chevy Open will be released at a later date.

Last year's championship in Birmingham, Ala., produced articles in magazines and newspapers with a combined circulation exceeding 45 million copies worldwide. This level of exposure will help establish the host site of the 2006 championship as a premier bass-fishing destination among the nation's 55 million fishing enthusiasts. This announcement is one of the sport's most anticipated.

"We will be announcing the location for the 2006 Forrest L. Wood Championship soon," said Charlie Evans, president and CEO of FLW Outdoors. "Fishing fans can be assured that the event will be the biggest and most exciting event the sport has ever seen."

As in 2005, each $900,000 tour stop features top awards of $100,000 in the Pro Division and $20,000 in the Co-angler division. Each $1.25 million open features top awards of $200,000 in the Pro Division and $40,000 in the Co-angler division. Every regular-season event also awards $10,000 through 50th place on the pro side.

The bracket-style, $1.5 million Forrest L. Wood Championship will once again award an incredible $500,000 to the winning pro and $25,000 to the winning co-angler. The top 48 pros and the top 48 co-anglers in Land O'Lakes Angler of the Year points standings following the six qualifiers will advance to the championship, and every pro receives a minimum of $15,000 just for qualifying.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America's largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart 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 and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as the title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events.

For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com. For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLW Outdoors.com or call 270-252-1000.

2006 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Schedule

Date Lake City, State
Jan. 18-21 Lake Okeechobee Clewiston, Fla.
Feb. 8-11 Lake Murray Columbia, S.C.
March 1-4 Pickwick Lake Florence, Ala.
April 5-8 Beaver Lake Rogers, Ark.
May 10-13 Kentucky Lake Benton, Ky.
June 21-24 Lake Champlain Plattsburgh, N.Y.

Source: flwoutdoors.com (2005-06-21)