GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Florida’s big bass factory will be put its first real test of 2001 starting Jan. 24 when 350 anglers from 34 states start casting for a share of $500,000 in the Wal-Mart FLW Tour season opener.
Joining participants in what promises to be a closely contested tournament due to the lowest water levels in five years are new FLW Tour sponsors Alpo Pet Foods, Plano Tackle Systems, Pepsi, Frito Lay and Snickers Cruncher Bar. The FLW Tour, now in its sixth season, will also debut a new points-only scoring system for advancing anglers to the 2001 championship.
Two hundred points will be awarded to the winner of the Okeechobee tournament. Second place will receive 199 points, and third place will collect 198 points. This is a departure from previous seasons where points were awarded based on each angler’s opening round (two-day) performance instead of overall finish. In the past, these points in combination with accumulated catch weight for the season determined who advanced to the championship.
Under the new system, the winner of each regular season tournament plus the top 44 pros and co-anglers based on year-end point totals will qualify to fish for up to $250,000 in the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship presented by Citgo. The pro angler who accumulates the most points will also be named the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year and receive $25,000 plus a Ranger bass boat. At the end of the season, the top co-angler will be named Eagle Co-Angler of the Year and awarded a Ranger bass boat.
The winning pro at Lake Okeechobee will walk away with $100,000 cash, and the winning co-angler will take home $15,000. The tournament, presented by EverStart, will also award a Pepsi big bass prize of $750 in the Pro Division and $500 in the Co-Angler Division after each of the first two days.
One competitor to watch during the tournament is new Team Kellogg’s angler Steve Daniel of Clewiston, a local favorite who is tied with David Fritts of Lexington, N.C., and Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo., for most career FLW Tour wins. Two of his three victories came on Lake Okeechobee, most recently in 2000 during an unusually cold tournament. A win by Daniel would mark only the second time in FLW Tour history that an angler successfully defended a win from the previous season on the same lake.
Other competitors to watch are Team Kellogg’s angler Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas, and Team Timex angler Scott Martin of Clewiston. Wendlandt is the reigning Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year and holds the FLW Tour record for top-10 finishes with 12. Martin won the Co-Angler of the Year title in 1999 and last year won the FLW Tour event in Biloxi, Miss., during his first pro season.
The tournament field consists of 175 pros and 175 co-anglers. Anglers in both divisions will compete for two days to make the opening-round cut. Only the top 10 anglers in each division will fish during the one-day semifinal round. Co-angler competition ends after the semifinal round, and the top five pros advance to the final day of competition. Catch weights carry over during the opening round but are cleared for the semifinal and final rounds.
Competition will begin at 6:30 a.m. Jan. 24 at Roland Martin’s Marina. The marina, which is located at 920 East Del Monte Avenue in Clewiston, will host each day’s takeoff plus the opening-round weigh-ins. Weigh-ins will begin at 3 p.m. Jan. 24-25. The Jan. 26 semifinal-round weigh-in will start at 5 p.m. at the Wal-Mart Supercenter located at 1005 West Sugarland Highway in Clewiston. Wal-Mart will host the final weigh-in Jan. 27 starting at 3:30 p.m. A free Coleman pancake breakfast will also be held at Wal-Mart from 8 to 10 a.m. Jan. 27 followed by a Family Fun Zone from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Family Fun Zone, which will also be held from 3 to 5 p.m. Jan. 26, is a festival featuring free children’s games and product samples from Wal-Mart FLW Tour sponsors.
Added to the list of winners following the FLW Tour visit to Lake Okeechobee will be the lake itself thanks to a $5,000 donation from the FLW Tour and the FishAmerica Foundation. Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will use the money to help reintroduce native aquatic vegetation to the lake. The planting site is located on the northwest side of the lake between Indian Prairie Canal and Pearce Canal. Bulrush, eelgrass, peppergrass and knotgrass will be planted there. According to district fish biologist Steve Gornack, these plants provide excellent spawning habitat and protective nursery grounds for black bass and other fish species. They also help filter out excess nutrients in the water.
Last year the FLW Tour funded placement of Reef Balls – hollow, dome-shaped concrete pods riddled with holes – along five half-acre sites around Lake Okeechobee. The structures, which weigh about 1,800 pounds, measure 4 feet in diameter and stand 3 feet tall, provide valuable artificial habitat for a variety of fish species.
For more information on the FishAmerica Foundation, visit the American Sportfishing Association Web site at www.asafishing.org.