Patterson and Phillips lead Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship

Day-one weather tests competitors during opening round of competition at Orange Beach

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Severe weather greeted anglers at the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship presented by BP in Orange Beach, Ala. Thunder, lightening and heavy rains – including a tornado that touched down in nearby Pensacola, Fla. – were the order of the day, forcing most competitors to alter their plans and find new areas to fish. At the end of the day, Mike Patterson and Brett Phillips, both of Rockport, Texas, stood atop the leader board with a two-redfish limit weighing 13 pounds even in the $300,000 event.

“The weather was horrendous,” said Patterson, who, along with Phillips, finished fourth in the Land O’Lakes Western Team of the Year race. “It’s one of the worst days I’ve ever been on the water. Luckily, we got our two fish by 10 a.m. and we came back and sat at the dock.”

Patterson and Phillips had planned to make a 125-mile run to Panama City, Fla., but got 30 miles from Orange Beach and decided to stop and fish an area they had scouted in the past. Their alternate plan turned out to be a wise decision, as they now hold a 10-ounce lead going into the second day of competition.

“It was the worst conditions I’ve ever been in,” Patterson said. “The rain, the lightening and the thunder were horrible. The thunder really scares the heck out of the redfish. It’s actually scary being out there. You have to be a pretty good fisherman to be out there and to be able to operate a boat, much less catch fish.”

Patterson said the team caught their fish on a Rapala DT06 crankbait and plans to head to the same spot on Friday if the severe weather continues. If the weather cooperates, Patterson said he would like to make a run to Hopedale, La., where the team spent most of their time scouting.

“Right now we’re planning on going back to the backup, backup spot that we didn’t even know about until today,” Patterson said.

“It went from a backup spot to our number one spot in about 10 minutes,” Phillips added.

Rounding out the top five teams are Bennie Hatten, of Deer Park, Texas, and Randy Macik, of Bay City, Texas (two redfish, 12 pounds, 6 ounces); Eric Holstman, of Gulf Breeze, Fla., and Sonny Granger, of Pensacola, Fla. (two redfish, 12 pounds, 5 ounces); Kris Walter, of Hudson, Fla., and Danny Winters, of Tampa, Fla. (two redfish, 12 pounds, 3 ounces); Gary McKenzie, of Bartow, Fla., and Sam Bertha Jr., of Bunnell, Fla. (two redfish, 11 pounds, 12 ounces).

Teams caught 121 redfish Thursday weighing 526 pounds, 13 ounces.

The Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship presented by BP is a three-day event. Up to 100 teams – the top 50 from the Western Division and top 50 from the Eastern Division after four qualifying tournaments in each division – compete Thursday and Friday, and the top five teams, based on heaviest combined weight, advance to Saturday’s final round. The winning team is determined Saturday based on the heaviest three-day accumulated weight. The Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship presented by BP winner will take home as much as $100,000.

Boats will launch from The Wharf, located at 23101 Canal Road in Orange Beach, each morning at 7 a.m. Friday’s weigh-in will be held at The Wharf beginning at 3 p.m. The final weigh-in will be held Saturday at The Wharf beginning at 4 p.m. Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone at The Wharf prior to Saturday’s weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public.

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, call (270) 252-1000.