Walmart FLW Walleye Tour to visit Lake Winnebago

Final qualifying event of $2.49 million season set for July 15-18

OSHKOSH, Wis. – The lucrative $2.49 million 2009 Walmart FLW Walleye Tour will hold its fourth and final qualifying event on Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh, Wis., July 15-18. The $461,500 tournament, hosted by the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau, will feature 189 anglers from 20 states and one Canadian province along with national TV coverage on VERSUS Country.

Pros will compete for a top award up to $100,000 and co-anglers will compete for as much as $20,000.

“To win this tournament, a lot is going to depend on what happens in the next couple of weeks with the water temperature and the clarity of the water,” said pro Pat Byle of Colgate, Wis., who is currently in second place on the FLW Walleye Tour. “Typically this time of year the water really starts to heat up and there are some serious algae problems on Lake Winnebago, which can really slow the bite. But if the bite remains the way it has been, I would say that over the course of the tournament it’s going to take probably 60 pounds to win, maybe more.

“Water levels are actually up and there’s good flow in the river, which basically means with the cold weather that we’ve had here, the water temperatures aren’t as high as they would normally be. What that means, typically, is that the fish could be anywhere.”

Byle suggests, “After locating where those key spots were for the bigger fish earlier in the practice week, where they seem to be concentrated, you can fish those spots and then move from one area of the lake to another that has similar structure and hopefully relocate them.”

Fans are encouraged to attend the weigh-ins to win free prizes, visit the Cabela’s booth for various promotions and ride the FLW Fantasy Fishing boat simulator for free. Pioneer Resort Marina located at 1000 Pioneer Drive in Oshkosh will host daily takeoffs each morning at 7 a.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at Pioneer Resort Marina beginning at 3 p.m.

Saturday’s final weigh-in will be held at the Pioneer Resort beginning at 4 p.m. Prior to the final weigh-in, there will be a free Family Fishing Clinic where anglers will answer questions and provide tips, as well as hand out free rod and reels to kids 14 and under, while supplies last. The community is invited to attend daily takeoffs and weigh-ins, which are free and open to the public.

Pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day and fish for a combined boat weight. Pros compete against other pros, and co-anglers compete against other co-anglers. The full field competes during the three-day opening round for one of 10 final-round slots based on their three-day accumulated weight. Weights carry over to day four, with the winners determined by the heaviest four-day weight.

Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 150 points awarded to the winner, 149 to second, 148 for third, and so on. These points determine Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year standings. The top 50 pros and 50 co-anglers in the standings will advance to the $650,000 FLW Walleye Tour Championship in Bismarck, N.D., Sept. 30- Oct. 3 for a shot at top awards of $150,000 and $20,000, respectively. The prestigious championship, hosted by the Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau, will also feature boater and co-angler points champions from each of four Walmart FLW Walleye League divisions. The no-entry-fee FLW Walleye Tour Championship is the most lucrative event in professional walleye angling, with cash awards for the entire field.

Coverage of the FLW Walleye Tour, hosted by the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. The Emmy-nominated “FLW Outdoors,” will air Sept. 20 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, 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.

Total awards are based on a full field of 150 boats in every tournament.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.

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