BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (May 26, 2004) - In football there is the Super Bowl; in baseball, the World Series; and in bass fishing, the FLW Tour Championship. This $1.5 million tournament featuring the top 48 professional bass anglers from the United States and Japan is the sport's most lucrative event, and it will be held in Birmingham Aug. 11-14 in conjunction with a world-class outdoor show.
Anglers who qualify for the championship following the Forrest Wood Open on New York's Lake Champlain June 23-26 will be seeded according to their year-end rankings and will compete in head-to-head matches on Logan Martin Lake for a top award of $500,000 cash.
Championship contenders will take off from Pell City Lakeside Park, located at 2801 Stemley Bridge Road, at 7 a.m. each day, and daily weigh-ins will be held at 5 p.m. at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. The outdoor show featuring more than 140 exhibits and free daily giveaways runs 2 to 8 p.m. Aug. 11 and 12, noon to 9 p.m. Aug. 13, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 14. One lucky fan attending the final weigh-in Aug. 14 at 5 p.m. will win a NASCAR Limited Series Ranger 521 DVX bass boat powered by a 225-horsepower Evinrude courtesy of The Birmingham News and Birmingham Post-Herald. Watch the papers for details starting June 13. Only registered participants present at the final weigh-in Aug. 14 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex are eligible to win.
"Alabama has a rich history of supporting professional bass fishing through the Alabama Bass Trail," said Barnett Lawley, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. "The 2004 FLW Tour Championship and accompanying outdoor show will have a tremendous economic impact on the state as thousands of fans from around the world visit Birmingham for the event."
Thanks to growing sponsor support and incredible payouts that now rival other professional sports like golf, tennis and NASCAR, competitive bass fishing is more popular than ever before. This popularity among the nation's 53 million fishing enthusiasts is expected to produce an economic impact of $50 million for Birmingham as thousands of fans, hundreds of sponsor representatives and support personnel, and hundreds of vendors visit the city for this event.
Notable pros who are virtually assured a spot in the 2004 Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship based on their performance through five of the tour's six qualifying events are current No. 1 seed and Japan Bass Angler of the Year Shinichi Fukae of Osaka, Japan; Yamaha pro and No. 2 seed Greg Hackney of Gonzales, La., who has assembled what is arguably the sport's most impressive record in 2004 with multiple top-10 finishes on both the FLW Tour and Bassmaster Tour; and Gambler-Bang co-founder Mike Surman of Boca Raton, Fla., who is currently the No. 3 seed and on track for the best season of his career; tour veteran and No. 4 seed Tracy Adams of Wilkesboro, N.C.; and No. 5 seed Clark Wendlandt of Cedar Park, Texas, the tour's only two-time Angler of the Year; and Dudley, the FLW Outdoors' all-time leading money winner and pro who is currently the No. 14 seed with one qualifier remaining.
Notable pros still on the bubble heading into the tour's final qualifier are No. 48 seed and Kevin Vida of Clare, Mich.; former FLW Tour Champion Dion Hibdon of Stover, Mo., who is currently the No. 51 seed; angling legend Larry Nixon of Bee Branch, Ark., who occupies the No. 52 spot; veteran pro Mike Wurm of Hot Springs, Ark., who ranks as the No. 54 seed; and Scott Martin of Clewiston, Fla., who is currently the No. 55 seed.
Birmingham's hometown favorite, Todd Ary, is currently the No. 61 seed. The complete championship field listing the tour's top 48 anglers will be posted on FLWOutdoors.com June 27.
Following the two-day opening round, 24 anglers advance to the semifinal round based on their two-day accumulated weight. Head-to-head competition continues in the one-day semifinal round, after which 12 anglers advance to the final round. The 12 finalists start from zero and compete for one day to determine the winner of the sport's top award - $500,000. Even the pro who finishes 48th earns $15,000 just for qualifying for the championship.
Forty-eight co-anglers, who are paired with the pros and fish from the back deck, will compete for two days, after which the top 24 anglers based on accumulated weight advance to the third and final day of co-angler competition. Weights are cleared for the co-angler final round, and the winner takes home $25,000.