Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour to visit Venice

Louisiana event marks second stop of 2008 season

VENICE, La. – The Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour is headed to Venice, La., for the circuit’s second regular-season stop Aug. 15-17. As many as 100 teams will be competing in the tournament.

Teams of two to five anglers each will fish for a top award of up to $100,000 cash. The teams will also be vying for valuable points that could earn them a berth into the no-entry-fee Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship in Biloxi, Miss., Nov. 14-16 for a shot at winning as much as $150,000.

As always in southern Louisiana, the weather will play a crucial role in the outcome of the tournament.

“Last time we were in Venice was in 2005 when Tropical Storm Arlene blew in, and we only fished one day,” said Daniel Gourley of Hilton Head, S.C., captain of Team Land O’Lakes. “The weather definitely plays a role. In 2005, a lot of guys ran about 180 miles south and got caught in 12-foot seas. They actually had to cut into different passes and wait the storm out.”

Gourley said his team will rely on locally-known hot spots and past history until they find the quality of fish they are looking for. He expects it will take 95 pounds to win.

“We use blue runners caught with Sabiki jigs around oil rig legs. We also use ribbon fish for bait,” Gourley said. “To prepare for Venice, we usually go down there about a week in advance and start out prefishing for a day or two in Biloxi, then move into Venice for a day or two. We fish around oil rigs when we’re in the Gulf of Mexico. We’ll circle the rig once or twice and make a couple passes, and if we haven’t had a bite or a fish in a decent size range, we’ll go to the next rig.”

Teams will take off from Venice Marina located at 237 Sports Marina Road in Venice at 6:30 each morning. Scales open at 3 p.m. and all teams must check-in by 5 p.m. The morning start and weigh-in are free and open to the public. Sunday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located 1501 Manhattan Blvd. in Harvey, La., beginning at 6 p.m.

The full field will compete Friday and Saturday then be cut to the top five teams for Sunday. Winners are determined based upon the heaviest kingfish from Friday or Saturday plus the heaviest kingfish from Sunday.

Openings are still available in the tournament. The entry fee is $1,500 per team. Teams may register online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Entries will also be accepted during on-site registration Aug. 14 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Venice Marina located at 237 Sports Marina Road in Venice, La.

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. Visit www.fantasyfishing.com to register a team.

Coverage of the Venice tournament hosted by the Venice Marina will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States Sept. 21 as part of the “FLW Outdoors” television program. “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.

The Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour will stop in Orange Beach, Ala., Sept. 12-14 for its third regular-season event, , followed by the last qualifying event, in Wrightsville Beach, N.C., Oct. 17-19.

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.

Awards are based on a full field of 100 boats in every qualifying tournament.