Lake Hamilton to host 2004 All-American championship
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – FLW Outdoors announced Tuesday that the lucrative Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League All-American championship will be held on Arkansas’ Lake Hamilton in 2004. The tournament, slated for April 14-17, features the nation’s best weekend anglers and awards the winner a $100,000 cash award, but the Hot Springs community is the real winner, as the area will benefit from the tournament’s estimated $6 million economic impact.
Lake Hamilton hosted the prestigious event in 2000 and 2001 and proved to be an able playing ground for competitors, as anglers hauled in high numbers of solid limits in both events. “Qualifying for the All-American is certainly an accomplishment, so we strive to provide All-American contenders with an ideal tournament location, and Lake Hamilton always fits the bill,” said Charlie Evans, executive vice president of FLW Outdoors. “We look forward to returning to Hot Springs in 2004.”
Anglers and their families as well as staff, sponsors and spectators, will descend upon the Hot Springs area before, during and after the event. These visitors will stay in local hotels, eating in local restaurants and shopping at local stores. Hot Springs will also benefit from national publicity, as the All-American will be covered in many of the nation’s top daily newspapers as well as in FLW Outdoors Magazine, on “FLW Outdoors Presented by Wal-Mart” on Fox Sports Radio and on FLWOutdoors.com. Coverage of the 2004 All-American will also be broadcast to 65 million subscribers of the Outdoor Life Network on the “FLW Outdoors” television program.
“Money cannot buy the kind of exposure Lake Hamilton and Hot Springs will receive by hosting the All-American,” said Steve Arrison, executive director for the Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau. “As a former host site for the All-American, we know firsthand what a tournament of this caliber can do for our community. This event is one of the premier tournaments in competitive bass fishing, and having it on Lake Hamilton will prove to a nationwide audience of fishermen that our area is a prime bass-fishing destination.”
The Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features a boater/co-angler format, and anglers compete in four one-day events and one two-day event to qualify for regional competition. Six regional events along with the Chevy Trucks Wild Card each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total playing field of 42 boaters and 42 co-anglers. The complete 2004 BFL schedule will be announced in mid October.
Because BFL competitors are weekend anglers and not pros, the All-American and its lucrative cash awards present a unique opportunity for qualifiers. In addition to the $100,000 top boater award, the winning co-angler will earn $50,000 cash.
As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Each year the top 30 boaters and co-anglers from each BFL division are eligible to advance to the EverStart Series, and All-American champions are eligible for Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition. The top 15 pros and co-anglers from the Central, Eastern and Northern divisions of the EverStart Series (top 10 from the Western Division) are eligible to advance to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Chevy pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.