Team Reel Screamer wins Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series event in Galveston

53-pound, 6-ounce king takes Gulf Coast Division tourney in Texas

GALVESTON, Texas – Team Reel Screamer, headed by Captain Larry White of Houston, Texas, caught a kingfish weighing 53 pounds, 6 ounces to win the Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Gulf Coast Division event in Galveston. The top prize of $21,000 included a $9,000 Yamaha bonus.

Fishing with Mark Zapalac and Jerry Gattis, both of Houston, White ran 65 miles southeast of Galveston and fished rocky bottom in 90 feet of water. The winning fish hit a live blue runner around 9 a.m. Quick response, White said, was intrinsic to the big hookup.

“The fish actually hit the long line first, but came down on the line and missed the bait,” he said. “She was still hot right behind the boat so we fed another bait back to her and she ate it.”

On the strike, Zapalac handled the rod and 20 minutes later White gaffed the kingfish. The captain said he was not convinced his team had the tournament topper.

“My team thought it was a winner, but I have to say that I did not,” White said. “I thought it was in the 45- to 48-pound class and it usually takes a 50-pound fish over here to win.

“I didn’t think it was big enough to stop fishing, so we fished until we were out of baits and then we headed in. We were sitting at the dock an hour before the scales opened.”

The Reel Screamer team caught about a dozen kingfish including an estimated 45-pounder. Their tournament morning decision proved momentous, White said. “We were pretty undecided yesterday as to whether our spot was the right one to go to. The key is being in the right location and the other spot that we were considering didn’t produce that well today.”

Rounding out the top five teams were Team Snafu captained by Stephen Barfoot of Satsuma, Ala. (50 pounds, 12 ounces, $2,821, plus $2,115 Yamaha bonus); Team Rag-Tag captained by Creighton Parker of Pensacola, Fla. (45 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,880, plus $1,410 Yamaha bonus); Team Speckulator captained by George Simon III of Baton Rouge, La. (45 pounds, 8 ounces $1,410, plus $1,058 Yamaha bonus); Team Reel Deal captained by Chris Vanos of Alvin, Texas (44 pounds, 11 ounces, $940, plus $705 Wellcraft bonus and $705 Yamaha bonus).

FLW Kingfish Series qualifying tournaments are one-day events. The field competes Saturday, and the winning team is determined based on the heaviest kingfish. The next FLW Kingfish Series Gulf Coast Division event will be held September 9 at Port Aransas, Texas.

The FLW Kingfish Series consists of five divisions – Florida East and West Coast, North Carolina, South Carolina/Georgia and Gulf Coast. Each division is comprised of three events with a $100,000 purse for each event. The top 100 teams – 20 from each division after three qualifying events – will qualify for the three-day, no-entry-fee $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series Championship to be held in Orange Beach, Ala., Oct. 26-28. The championship winner will take home as much as $75,000.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series, as well as the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006.

For more information on FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.