Original programming returns to ‘FLW Outdoors’ March 9 - Major League Fishing

Original programming returns to ‘FLW Outdoors’ March 9

FSN to air season-opening Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Eastern Division event on Lake Okeechobee
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BP pro JT Kenney reeled in 23 pounds, 2 ounces on day two of the FLW Series BP Eastern event on Lake Okeechobee to take a commanding lead with a two-day total of 40-05. Photo by Rob Newell. Angler: Jt Kenney.
March 3, 2008 • MLF • Archives

MINNEAPOLIS – Tune in Sunday, March 9 to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the season-opening Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Eastern Division event on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla. The first tournament of the $10 million FLW Series season concludes with the winning pro claiming a cash prize of $125,000.

A full field of 200 pros and 200 co-anglers competes for the first three days of FLW Series events. Co-angler winners are determined on day three by the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.

BP pro J.T. Kenney has always had a love affair with Florida’s largemouth bass. Although he grew up near the banks of the Potomac River, Kenney has lived in the Sunshine state for the better part of a decade. Lake Okeechobee helped put Kenney on professional fishing’s map in 2002 when he was a guide on the lake who happened to get into a Wal-Mart FLW Tour event at the last minute from the waiting list. Four days later he won the tournament, earning his first $100,000 check. Since then he has won a BASS Open (October 2003) and notched three other top-10s in Stren Series competition on Lake One of Kenney's fish that made up his final-day winning catch of 19 pounds.Okeechobee. Fast forward a few years and Kenney is once again closing in on another six-figure payday on the Big O.

When the wind doesn’t blow, Kenney is catching a bevy of bass with a Berkley Frenzy Rattler on 17-pound-test Trilene Maxx line. His primary area is a shallow-water flat located in the main lake. However, when the wind does blow, his shallow water turns to mud. When that happens, he fishes rim canals with a Berkley PowerBait Shaky Worm tied to 8-pound-test Spiderwire Ultracast and an 8-pound-test Trilene fluorocarbon leader. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 49-13, he holds a 3-pound, 4-ounce lead over his closest competitor heading into the final day of competition.

Trailing Kenney is Prilosec pro Chad Grigsby of Maple Grove, Minn. Although Kenney and Grigsby are Prilosec pro Chad Grigsby of Maple Grove, Minn., rocketed from 77th to third place on day two thanks to a 22-pound, 8-ounce limit of bass, which gives him a two-day total of 32 pounds, 15 ounces.friends and travel partners, the two are fishing three miles apart. Although his primary spot is in the main lake, he too had to retreat to the rim canal on day three due to the blustery weather. Using a Berkley PowerBait Shaky Worm, the second-place pro sacked a solid 13 pounds, 10 ounces on day three and improved his total weight to 46 pounds, 9 ounces. Grigsby has his own impressive track record on Okeechobee – including five top-10 finishes, two of which were on the FLW Tour. Another solid limit on day four could propel the up-and-coming angler to his first tour-level victory.

FSN also shadows local pro Jimmy McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla. McMillan is fishing the main lake on the Local pro Jimmy McMillan of Belle Glade, Fla., holds up his day-four kicker. He finished second with a three-day total of 64 pounds, 8 ounces worth $50,000.south end, concentrating on small depressions with a Lucky Craft LV-7 lipless rattler tied to 25-pound-test Trilene Big Game line. Searching for big bites, McMillan has accumulated a three-day total of 46 pounds, 6 ounces. On day three, he caught only three keeper bass, but they weighed an astonishing 19 pounds. For an angler who doesn’t fish a full season, this is McMillan’s only shot at a six-figure victory on his home lake.

FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sunday mornings. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes on “FLW Outdoors.”

FSN is broadcast to more than 81 million homes through its network of 20 regional sports channels. Established in 1996, FSN is the only cable network that supplies national, regional and local sports programming. FSN serves as the cable TV home to 62 of the 82 MLB, NHL and NBA teams based in the United States, and produces more than 4,500 live events each year. FSN has an extensive catalog of original national programs, including “Best Damn Sports Show Period” and “Beyond the Glory” documentary series, along with national packages of collegiate sports. Based in Los Angeles, FSN is part of the vast FOX Sports television family. For the latest up-to-the-minute sports news and opinions, visit the FOX Sports/FSN website at www.FoxSports.com.

“FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast internationally to more than 429 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world.

Tournament anglers aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing™, FLW Outdoors® offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour® stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player’s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.