SARASOTA, Fla. – Terry Brantley of Arcadia, Fla., and team alternate Mark Sepe of Deland, Fla., caught a three-day total of six redfish weighing 41 pounds, 14 ounces to win the Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Eastern Division event, presented by Yamaha, in Sarasota. Their top prize of $35,000 included a $15,000 Yamaha bonus.
Adding to the day was a last-minute shakeup of the team of Geoffrey Page of Venice, Fla., and Brantley. The team netted the second-ranked qualifying position heading into the finals today and Page was called away at the last-minute to fulfill a sponsor commitment. After a quick scramble, however, Brantley found Sepe to replace Page and was able to compete in the finals.
Page and Brantley opened the tournament with two fish weighing 14-11 Thursday. They added another two fish weighing 13-12 Friday. Brantley and Sepe capped off the win with two more fish weighing 13-07 Saturday.
Rounding out the top five teams are John Henninger of Jacksonville, Fla., and John Eggers of Jacksonville Beach, Fla. (six redfish, 40 pounds, 13 ounces, $14,238); Roger Crafton of Boca Grande, Fla., and John Ochs of Englewood, Fla. (six redfish, 40 pounds, 11 ounces, $5,078); Daniel Benson of Brandon, Fla., and Matthew Ryan of Belleair Bluffs, Fla. (six redfish, 33 pounds, 13 ounces, $5,016) and Blair Wiggins of Cocoa, Fla., and Travis Tanner of Titusville, Fla. (four redfish, 29 pounds, 10 ounces, $3,962).
The $1.9 million FLW Redfish Series consists of two divisions – Eastern and Western – and the $318,500 Redfish Open. Each division is comprised of four $170,000 qualifying tournaments. The top 50 teams from each division based on Land O’Lakes Team of the Year standings will advance to the no-entry-fee $300,000 Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series Championship to be held Oct. 30-Nov. 1 in Biloxi, Miss. The championship winner will take home as much as $100,000.
Tournament pros 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.
Coverage of the FLW Redfish Series stop in Sarasota will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program airing April 13. “FLW Outdoors” is also broadcast in Canada on WFN (World Fishing Network) and to more than 429 million households in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East through a distribution agreement with Matchroom Sport, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. The program airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time in most markets. Check local listings for times in your area.
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, call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.
Awards are based on a full field of 125 boats in every tournament.