FLW Outdoors
Announces New Walleye League For Weekend Anglers
BENTON, Ky. – In a move to
accommodate the nation's growing interest in competitive walleye
fishing, FLW Outdoors announced Monday its all-new Wal-Mart RCL
Walleye League for weekend walleye anglers. Fashioned after the
highly successful Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, the RCL League
meets the demand for one- and two-day, close-to-home tournaments
in an expanding market.
The $350,000 league
comprises four divisions - Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and
Wisconsin - with three events per division. Two of the events are
one-day tournaments while the third, a Super Tournament, is held
over two days. The season culminates in the $88,000 Wal-Mart RCL
League Finals, which will be held Sept. 6-7, 2003, on Lake Okoboji
near Spirit Lake, Iowa.
"Professional walleye
fishing has never been better, so this is a great time to
introduce tournament-style walleye angling to the masses," said
Mark Dorn, director of walleye operations for FLW Outdoors. "The
Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League is sure to bring even more exposure to
the growing sport of walleye fishing."
Like its counterpart, the
$3.07 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, the RCL League is named
after boat manufacturers Ranger, Crestliner and Lund. While the
RCL Tour features the world's greatest walleye pros, the RCL
League is designed for the everyday angler who would like to try
his hand at competitive fishing. The RCL League features a
boater/co-angler, shared-weight format in which the boater
supplies the boat and competes against other boaters while the
co-angler competes against other co-anglers.
Fishing the RCL League can
be lucrative, as the tournament series offers purses totaling as
much as 157 percent of entry fees. The top 15 boaters and
co-anglers finish in the money at each regular-season event with
the top boater earning as much as $3,500 cash and the top
co-angler earning as much as $1,500. Super Tournaments feature
even bigger cash prizes with the top boater earning as much as
$4,250 cash and the top co-angler earning as much as $1,875 cash.
These payouts include cash bonuses ranging from $50 to $750 that
are available to every Ranger, Crestliner and Lund boat owner who
places in a tournament.
The boater winner of the
Wal-Mart RCL League Finals will take home a Ranger, Crestliner or
Lund boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha outboard motors and a
trailer. The co-angler winner in the RCL Finals will win a boat
and trailer. Cash bonuses ranging from $50 to $1,000 are also
available to every Ranger, Crestliner and Lund boat owner who
places.
The top five boaters and
co-anglers in the year-end points standings in each division
qualify for the $1.4 million Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Championship,
scheduled for Oct. 1-4 on the Mississippi River near Red Wing,
Minn. Angler standings are determined by points awarded during the
regular season, and every angler who receives weight credit earns
points. Two hundred points are awarded to the winner of each
qualifying event, 199 points are awarded for second, etc. Stakes
are raised during Super Tournaments, as the winner earns 300
points, 298 points are awarded for second, etc.
Entry fees for qualifying
tournaments are $150 for boaters and $75 for co-anglers. Super
Tournament entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for
co-anglers. For Ranger, Crestliner or Lund owners, entries will be
accepted beginning at 8 a.m. CST Jan. 27. All other entries will
be accepted beginning at 8 a.m. CST Feb. 3.
Wal-Mart and many of
America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its
six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW
Outdoors since 1997.
To find out the complete
2003 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League schedule or to enter a
tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit
www.FLWOutdoors.com
2003 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye
League Schedule
Michigan
Registration Tournament
Location
April 11 April 12 Detroit River
June 6 June 7 Lake St. Clair
August 1 August 2-3 Saginaw Bay
Minnesota
Registration Tournament
Location
May 9 May 10 Mississippi River
June 27 June 28 Mille Lacs
July 25 July 26-27 Leech Lake
South Dakota
Registration Tournament
Location
May 16 May 17 Francis Case
June 13 June 14 Lake Sharpe
July 18 July 19-20 Lake Oahe
Wisconsin
Registration Tournament
Location
April 25 April 26 Wolf River Chain
May 23 May 24 Fox River/Green Bay
July 11 July 12-13 Lake Winnebago
Wal-Mart RCL Walleye
League Finals
Registration Tournament
Location
September 5 September 6-7 Lake Okoboji, Spirit Lake, Iowa
