BENTON, Ky. (Oct. 15, 2004) - The Texas Tournament Trail will celebrate its fifth anniversary in 2005 with a five-event schedule that will pay out as much as $1 million in cash and prizes to Texas bass anglers. The 2005 slate of events includes one site never before visited by the TTT, as the series' no-entry-fee championship will be held on Texas' Lake Conroe Oct. 15-16.
Each of the TTT's four regular-season events will feature two days of competition that will award as much as $205,500 in cash and prizes to as many as 200 pros and 200 co-anglers. The regular season will kick off Feb. 19-20 on Lake Amistad in Del Rio, Texas, followed by an event on Richland Chambers Reservoir in Corsicana, Texas, April 2-3. The third regular-season event will be held April 30-May 1 on Lake Texoma in Denison, Texas, and the regular season will wrap up on Toledo Bend Reservoir near Many, La., May 21-22.
"The Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail continues to give the everyday angler a chance to compete for large purses on top-notch fisheries," said Charlie Hoover, president and CEO of FLW Outdoors. "The fifth-anniversary season of the TTT should be its best yet, and we look forward to providing quality competition in Texas and Louisiana through the TTT for years to come."
During qualifying tournaments, the full field of competitors will fish for one of 20 spots in the day-two final round. During the final round, the 20 competitors in each division will continue competition, with the winners determined by the heaviest two-day weight. During the championship, all competitors will compete both days, with the winners determined by the heaviest two-day weight.
The winning pro at each regular-season event can earn as much as $65,000 in cash and prizes based on full fields. The winner will receive a first-place prize of a 519VX Ranger bass boat (or equivalent model at Ranger's discretion) powered by a 200-horsepower Yamaha or Evinrude outboard plus $10,000 cash. If the winner is an original owner of a Ranger boat and meets Ranger contingency guidelines, the winner will earn another $20,000 cash. Co-anglers will compete for a cash award of $4,000 plus a fully rigged Ranger boat if the winner is a qualifying owner of a Ranger boat.
The top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers from the year-end points standings are eligible to advance to the $195,000 Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail Championship in Conroe, Texas. (Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on. These points determine angler standings.) The winning pro at the championship can earn as much as $70,000 in cash and prizes, including a 519VX Ranger powered by a 200-horsepower Yamaha or Evinrude outboard and $15,000 for the win plus another $20,000 cash if Ranger contingency guidelines are met. The winning co-angler will earn a fully rigged Ranger and $5,000 for the victory plus another $5,000 cash if contingency guidelines are met.
Ranger Boats will award $5,000 to the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program during each qualifying event. Yamaha will award an additional 50 percent of Ranger Cup winnings if Powered by Yamaha guidelines are met. Garmin will award the winning pro $1,000 if he uses qualifying Garmin electronics exclusively during the event.
Entry fees remain unchanged for 2005 at $350 for pros and $100 for co-anglers. Entry dates will be released later this year.