FLW Kingfish Tour Championship to air on Christmas Eve

Dec. 24 program to highlight $500,000 king mackerel championship

MINNEAPOLIS – Tune in Sunday, Dec. 24 to “FLW Outdoors” on FSN for the no-entry-fee $500,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship held in Mount Pleasant, S.C. Only the top 50 teams, based on points accumulated during the four regular-season events, qualified. The final event of the $1.82 million FLW Kingfish Tour concludes with the winning team claiming a cash prize of $150,000.

The “FLW Outdoors” saltwater series is a reality-format show told from the anglers’ perspective. Each week the top-five finalists are followed from takeoff to weigh-in, allowing the audience to feel the anglers’ nerves, listen to their strategy and learn from their mistakes. The stories evolve and the suspense grows throughout the one-hour show until the final weigh-in results are announced.

FLW Kingfish Tour tournaments are three-day events. The entire field competes on day one and day two, and the top five teams compete on day three. The winning team is determined based on the heaviest kingfish from day one or day two plus the heaviest kingfish from day three.

Team Sea Rat, captained by Mitch Yates of Winston-Salem, N.C., led the charge into the finals with an eye-popping 50-pound, 6-ounce kingfish caught on day one. In fact, Yates’ smoker, which was caught on the top long line with a blue runner, was the second-heaviest kingfish of the year. Yates and Sea Rat plan to head back out to the aptly named Not-So-Secret Hole, located about 35 miles to the north of Charleston Harbor. It is a natural live-bottom area with ledges and warmer water that attracts kingfish by the dozen. Sea Rat carries a 5-pound lead into the finals as they inch closer to a colossal payday.

Team Wild Ride, led by Capt. Randy Griffin Jr. of Hampstead, N.C., finished the opening round in the second position after catching a monster king weighing 45 pounds, 6 ounces. They, too, fished among the pack at the Not-So-Secret Hole and ended up catching their smoker on the surface. Griffin remained tight lipped about what type of bait he was employing, allowing only that he is using an uncommon type of live bait. Tune in to see if this secret bait pays dividends on day three.

Capt. Dennis Stark of Pine Bluff, N.C., and Team Sea Bandit qualified for the final round in third place courtesy of a 43-pound, 15-ounce kingfish. Stark, who calls the Charleston region his home fishing grounds, said Sea Bandit owns a small local advantage in this event. On day two, they caught and live-released a slew of fish, many exceeding 30 pounds. On day three the hometown favorites will hope for an even bigger bite.

Also in contention is Team Raymarine/Early Riser, last year’s championship winners. Led by Capt. John Parks of Jacksonville, N.C., the team positioned themselves for another run at the title by catching a 40-pound, 7-ounce king on day two, making the cutoff in fourth place.

FSN broadcasts “FLW Outdoors” Sundays from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern time. Check local listings for show times and channels in your area. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online show guide listing what events are coming up on “FLW Outdoors.”

FSN is available in 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 over 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 350 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. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 service men and women stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.

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, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, 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 exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.

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 Wal-Mart.com.

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