Mississippi River to host Wal-Mart BFL Regional

FORT MADISON, Iowa – The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 4-6 for one of seven no-entry-fee Regional Championships. During the tournament, hosted by Fort Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau, top anglers from the Great Lakes, Illini, Michigan and Ozark divisions will compete for a $60,000 prize package that includes a new Chevy truck and Ranger 519VX powered by Evinrude or Yamaha in the Boater Division and a $40,000 Ranger 519VX powered by Evinrude or Yamaha in the Co-angler Division.

Boater Jeff Ritter of Prairie du Chien, Wis., and co-angler Jamie Gomez of Onalaska, Wis., will lead the Great Lakes Division qualifiers on the Mississippi River, while boater Bobby McMullin of Pevely, Mo., and co-angler Brett Wysock of Wilmington, Ill., lead the Illini Division contingent. Boater Mark Modrak of Chesterfield, Mich., and co-angler David Adams of Schererville, Ind., are the No. 1 qualifiers from the Michigan Division, and boater Roger Fitzpatrick of Eldon, Mo., and co-angler Tim Renshaw of Everton, Mo., are the top qualifiers from the Ozark Division.

Overall, 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers qualified from each of these divisions for a total field of 160 boats on the Mississippi River. The anglers qualified for the Regional Championship through a series of four one-day tournaments and a two-day Super Tournament in each of their respective divisions.

Captain Kirk’s Marina located at 902 4th St. in Fort Madison will host daily takeoffs at 7 a.m. Captain Kirk’s Marina will also host Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday’s weigh-in featuring the top six boaters and six co-anglers will be held at the Wal-Mart located at 324 W. Agency Road in West Burlington, Iowa, beginning at 4 p.m. The winners will be determined by the heaviest total catch from all three days of competition.

Boaters and co-anglers who finish in the top six at the Mississippi River Regional Championship will also advance to the $1 million no-entry-fee 2008 All-American championship presented by Chevy where they will fish for as much as $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will also advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 14-17. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing.

In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3 million. Additionally, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series for 2008 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

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 Stren Series and ultimately the FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament circuit.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.

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

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