Pure Fishing announces pro angling team
Wal-Mart FLW Tour veterans comprise newest sponsor team
MINNEAPOLIS – Pure Fishing, the trade umbrella under which the highly recognized consumer brands Berkley, Fenwick, Abu Garcia, Spiderwire, Johnson and Sevenstrand operate, announced today the members of its professional angling team to compete in FLW Outdoors tournaments in 2006. This distinguished group of anglers consists of David Walker, Glenn Browne, Bobby Lane and Mark Goines.
Earlier this year, Pure Fishing signed the largest, most comprehensive endemic sponsorship agreement in FLW Outdoors history. Through its multiyear partnership with FLW Outdoors, Pure Fishing will sponsor a four-member angling team that will compete on various FLW Outdoors tournament trails.
Walker, who will compete from a Berkley-branded Ranger boat, is generally a force to be reckoned with on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. The Sevierville, Tenn., native has recorded an astounding 29 top-10 finishes on his way to more than $380,000 in career earnings. This past season, Walker also began fishing the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and immediately experienced success by claiming a top-10 finish and qualifying for the year-end championship. Walker said he is happy to be in the Berkley boat.
“I’m excited to be a Berkley team angler. Berkley is on the leading edge when it comes to designing and engineering products that catch more fish. They help me truly get in the zone with my fishing. I feel like this puts me in a great position for the upcoming season.”
Ocala, Fla., pro Glenn Browne has fished 52 FLW Outdoors events since 1998, earning more than $100,000 along the way and having finished in the top 10 nine times. In 2006, Browne will be seen driving the Stren boat.
“Being with a strong endemic sponsor can only enhance your career,” Browne said. “Stren is synonymous with bass fishing and anglers have depended on Stren for many years. I trust it for my tournament fishing.”
Lane, who will fish out of the Spiderwire boat, was last year’s rookie sensation on the FLW Tour. On day one of his first FLW Tour event, the Lakeland, Fla., pro boated two 8-pound-plus Lake Okeechobee monsters leading to a seventh-place finish. As the tour headed just north to Florida’s Lake Toho, Lane once again wowed the competition with a third-place finish. As the field headed west for the Ouachita River, Lane was considered a Florida mastermind. To the surprise of many, he turned in a ninth-place finish on the Ouachita River and proved he could catch them outside of the Seminole state. In addition to the FLW Tour, Lane also competes in the Stren Series (formerly known as the EverStart Series) and Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and has a total of 14 top-10 finishes and more than $135,000 in career earnings to his name.
“With Spiderwire on my side, the fish will have no place to hide,” Lane said.
Goines is no stranger to success on the water. He has fished in 68 FLW Outdoors tournaments since 1997, spanning the FLW Tour, Stren Series and BFL. Goines, who will fish out of the Abu Garcia boat, won the Stren Series Championship on Sam Rayburn in April 2001, earning $50,000 in cash and prizes.
“It means a lot to be able to represent the best reel manufacturer in the business,” Goines said. “My first reel was an Abu Garcia 5000, and I’ve been using them ever since. You can’t buy a more rugged reel; they truly last a lifetime.”
Claudio Garcia, global marketing officer for Pure Fishing, stated: “The Pure Fishing team will be an essential component in our marketing efforts in the years ahead. We’re confident that they’ll be successful not only on the water, but with the fans in the Family Fun Zone as well.”
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com’s sponsor page.
For more information about FLW Outdoors tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.