Here we go!!!
FLW Outdoors announces new walleye league for weekend anglers 23.Dec.2002
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. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com.
To find out more about the 2003 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League schedule, call FLW Outdoors at (270) 252-1000.
The league rules and brochure will be available online at FLWOutdoors.com Dec. 27.
2003 Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League Schedule
Michigan
Registration - Tournament - Location
April 11 - April 12 - Detroit River
June 6 - June 7 - Lake St. Clair
Aug. 1 - Aug. 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
Sept. 5 - Sept. 6-7 - Lake Okoboji, Spirit Lake, Iowa
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