Fantasy Fishing Challenge winners unveiled

Missouri resident captures grand prize as competition comes to a close

After a yearlong battle of punditry excellence, FLW Outdoors is pleased to announce that Bill Gillespie of Kimberling City, Mo., has won the overall grand prize for the 2007 season. Gillespie out-pointed thousands of other fantasy-fishing candidates nationally in the yearlong cumulative contest to secure the top prize.

For his efforts, Gillespie won an all-expense-paid trip for two to the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs, Ark., from Aug. 2-5. Gillespie’s prize package included round-trip airfare for two, hotel accommodations for two nights, ground transfers to and from the hotel and airport, VIP seating at the Forrest Wood Cup as well as $200 spending money.

In addition, FLW Outdoors would like to congratulate each of the single-tournament winners who took home $5,000 cash for scoring the highest fantasy point total at each of six FLW Tour stops during the 2007 season. The winners included:

* Dave Rieck of Davenport, Iowa (Lake Travis)

* Rodney Bledsoe of Independence, Mo. (Fort Loudoun-Tellico lakes)

* Jim Nelson of West Hills, Calif. (Lake Norman)

* Micah Simmons of Oneonta, Ala. (Beaver Lake)

* Efrain Rodriguez of Reading, Pa. (Potomac River)

* Dale Horaz of Carterville, Ill. (Detroit River)

Although competition has concluded for this year, the FLW Outdoors Fantasy Fishing Challenge will be reprised for the 2008 season. While the exact details have yet to be worked out, the 2008 version will undoubtedly be bigger, better and more lucrative than any fantasy-fishing competition ever offered by FLW Outdoors.

Stay tuned to FLWOutdoors.com to catch all of the late-breaking information regarding the 2008 FLW Outdoors Fantasy Fishing Challenge.