FLW OUTDOORS ANNOUNCES 2010 CIRCUIT SCHEDULES - UPDATED

[djkimmel]

FLW OUTDOORS ANNOUNCES 2010 CIRCUIT SCHEDULES
Anglers Can Begin Registering Monday, Nov. 2

MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 27, 2009) – FLW Outdoors, the world's leading tournament fishing organization, announced its 2010 schedules and tournament details; many of which have been modified to address the challenges many anglers are facing at all levels of the sport.

"Many of our anglers have been directly affected by the current economic downturn," said Charlie Evans, President and CEO of FLW Outdoors. "We thoroughly studied every aspect of our tournaments and carefully developed our 2010 programs to minimize the time and expense required to compete while at the same time visiting quality fisheries that will provide exciting events that anglers and fans alike will enjoy. We are confident that the adjustments we made will serve our anglers well and position the sport for continued prosperity."

The FLW Tour, whose schedule was released earlier this year and is listed below, culminates with the Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, in Atlanta.

Date	Fishery	Location
Feb. 10-13	Red River	Shreveport, La.
March 3-6	Table Rock Lake	Branson, Mo.
March 24-27	Lake Norman	Charlotte, N.C.
April 21-24	Ft. Loudoun/Tellico lakes	Knoxville, Tenn.
May 26-29	Lake Ouachita	Hot Springs, Ark.
June 23-26	Lake Guntersville	Huntsville, Ala.
Forrest Wood Cup
Aug. 5-8	Lake Lanier	Atlanta, Ga.

The FLW Tour will feature a cumulative weight format in 2010. The field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers will compete Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with the top five pros advancing to Saturday. The total weight from the first three days will determine the winning co-angler Friday, and the total weight from all four days will determine the winning pro on Saturday. Weigh-ins will be held lakeside the first three days, moving to an arena in conjunction with the Tour's popular Family Fun Zone and Outdoor Show on day four. Practice for each event has been condensed from four to three days – Saturday, Sunday and Monday – and tournament waters will go off-limits 13 days prior to practice, with registration on Tuesday.

Pro entry fees will be $4,000 per tournament and deposits have been reduced to $1,000 for each event. Pro anglers will continue to compete for a $100,000 top award in each event, with payouts of $10,000 through 50th place. Co-angler entry fees are $700 per event, and the top co-angler award in each tournament is $20,000 with payouts of $800 through 50th place.

The top 30 pros and co-anglers from the 2010 season will qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup. The 2010 Forrest Wood Cup champion will earn $500,000 in the pro division and $50,000 in the co-angler division, unchanged from last year. Every pro that qualifies and fishes will earn a minimum of $7,000 while every co-angler earns a minimum of $1,500.

Sponsor contingency awards are being developed with our partners and will be announced for all circuits in the near future.

The top 100 pros and top 100 co-anglers from the 2009 FLW Tour and the 2009 FLW Series, top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers from each division of the 2009 Stren Series and the boater and co-angler champion from the 2009 BFL All-American may register beginning Monday, Nov. 2 and must enter by Dec. 7 in order to secure their priority entry position for the 2010 season. Ranger boat owners may enter beginning Dec. 7, followed by Champion and Stratos boat owners and TBF members Dec. 8. General public entries will be accepted beginning Dec. 9. Deposits for all six events will be accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time. For additional information, visit FLWOutdoors.com.

The FLW Series will be adjusted with the Eastern Division being discontinued. The 2010 National Guard FLW Series will serve anglers in the Western United States and its schedule is below.

Date	Fishery	Location
Jan. 13-16	Lake Shasta	Shasta Lake, Calif.
May 5-8	Lake Mead	Las Vegas, Nev.
June 9-12	California Delta	Stockton, Calif.
Sept 22-25	Lake Roosevelt	Payson, Ariz.

The FLW Series field of 150 pros and 150 co-anglers will compete Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, with the top five pros advancing to Saturday. The total weight from the first three days will determine the winning co-angler Friday, and the total weight from all four days will determine the winning pro Saturday. Practice for each event has been condensed from four to three days – Sunday, Monday and Tuesday – and tournament waters will go off-limits six days prior to practice.

Pro entry fees have been reduced to $2,000 per tournament and co-angler entry fees have been reduced to $350 per event. Anglers will compete for top awards of $50,000 in the pro division and $10,000 in the co-angler division, with awards of $5,000 and $400, respectively, extending through 50th place. The top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers at the end of the season will qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup.

The top 100 pros and top 100 co-anglers from the 2009 FLW Series and the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers from the 2009 Stren Series may register beginning Monday, Nov. 2 and must enter by Dec. 15 in order to secure their priority entry position for the 2010 season. Ranger boat owners may enter beginning Dec. 15 followed by Champion and Stratos boat owners and TBF members Dec. 16. General public entries will be accepted beginning Dec. 17. Pros and co-anglers who enter all four tournaments with a counterpart by Dec. 17 will be given priority over anglers who enter less than four events. Deposits for all four events will be accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time. For additional information, visit FLWOutdoors.com.

The current Stren Series will consist of four divisions in 2010 – Central, Northern, Southeast and Texas – with the Western division being discontinued. Each division will consist of three tournaments and the full schedule is below.

Date	Fishery	Location
CENTRAL
March 18-20	Lake of the Ozarks	Osage Beach, Mo.
April 15-17	Lake Ouachita	Mount Ida, Ark.
May 13-15	Kentucky Lake	Gilbertsville, Ky.
NORTHERN
June 3-5	Potomac River	Marbury, Md.
July 15-17	Lake Champlain	Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Sept. 9-11	Lake Erie	Erie, Pa.
SOUTHEAST
Feb. 25-27	Lake Okeechobee	Clewiston, Fla.
April 29-May 1	Lake Eufaula	Eufaula, Ala.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2	Pickwick Lake	Florence, Ala.
TEXAS
Jan. 7-9	Lake Falcon	Zapata, Texas
Feb. 4-6	Sam Rayburn	Jasper, Texas
June 17-19	Toledo Bend	Manning, La.
INVITATIONAL
Nov. 4-6	Wheeler Lake	Decatur, Ala.

                                                         
The fields will consist of 150 boats fishing Thursday and Friday and the top 10 pros and top 10 co-anglers advancing to Saturday. Winners will be determined by total weight from all three days. The points champion from each division will qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup and a fifth Forrest Wood Cup qualifier will advance from an Invitational event that is open to the top 50 anglers from each division.

Pro entry fees remain $825 per tournament and co-angler entry fees remain $325 per tournament. Anglers will compete for top awards of $25,000 in the pro division and a Ranger Boat in the co-angler division, with awards of $800 and $350 extending through 50th place, respectively. The entry fee in the Invitational is the same as a tournament entry fee.

The top 40 pros and top 40 co-anglers from each division of the 2009 season and the top 40 boaters and top 40 co-anglers from each division of the 2009 Bass Fishing League may register beginning Monday, Nov. 2 and must enter by Dec. 10 to secure their priority entry position for the 2010 season. Ranger boat owners may enter beginning Dec.10 followed by Champion and Stratos boat owners and TBF members Dec. 11. General public entries will be accepted beginning Dec. 14. Pros and co-anglers who enter all three tournaments in a division with a counterpart by Dec. 15 will be given priority over anglers who enter less than three events. Entries are accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000 beginning Monday, Nov. 2. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time. For additional information, visit FLWOutdoors.com.

The Bass Fishing League continues its longstanding tradition as the nation's leading provider of affordable, close-to-home tournaments in 2010 with 24 divisions serving weekend anglers. There will be four divisions merging and they are the Everglades with Gator; Empire with Northeast; Texas/Louisiana with Cowboy; and Dixie with Bama. Payouts, formats and entry fees for qualifiers and Super Tournaments remain unchanged.

The 2010 All-American presented by Chevy will be held on DeGray Lake in Hot Springs, Ark., May 27-29. This no-entry-fee tournament will pay the winning boater $100,000 and the winning co-angler $50,000. Every angler will cash a check, with the 54th place boater earning $1,500 and the 54th place co-angler earning $750.

Entries for the 2010 season will be accepted by division on the following dates: Dec. 7 – Hoosier, Michigan, Music City, and Volunteer; Dec. 8 – Bulldog, Cowboy, Great Lakes, Illini and Mississippi; Dec. 9 – Bama, Buckeye, Choo Choo, Gator and Mountain; Dec. 10 – Arkie, LBL, North Carolina, Northeast and Okie; and Dec. 11 – Ozark, Piedmont, Savannah River, South Carolina and Shenandoah. Entries are accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time. For additional information, visit FLWOutdoors.com.

FLW Outdoors launched National Guard FLW College Fishing in 2009 and the success has been unparalleled. The national championship for the first season will take place at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tenn., on Fort Loudoun/Tellico lakes, April 10-12, 2010.

The 2010 schedule will consist of four qualifying events and one regional tournament in each division – Central, Northern, Southeast, Texas and Western – and is below.

Date	Fishery	Location
CENTRAL
March 20	Lake of the Ozarks	Osage Beach, Mo.
April 17	Lake Ouachita	Mount Ida, Ark.
May 15	Kentucky Lake	Gilbertsville, Ky.
July 24	Mississippi River	La Crosse, Wis.
Central Regional	Indiana University	Bloomington, Ind.
Oct. 30-Nov. 1	Lake Monroe
NORTHERN
March 27	Mt. Island Lake	Mount Holly, N.C.
June 5	Potomac River	Marbury, Md.
July 17	Lake Champlain	Plattsburgh, N.Y.
Sept. 11	Lake Erie	Erie, Pa.
Northern Regional	North Carolina State
Nov. 6-8	Lake Jordan	Raleigh, N.C.
SOUTHEAST
Feb. 27	Lake Okeechobee	Clewiston, Fla.
March 13	Old Hickory Lake	Gallatin, Tenn.
May 1	Lake Eufaula	Eufaula, Ala.
Oct. 2	Pickwick Lake	Florence, Ala.
Southeast Regional		University of South Carolina
Nov. 13-15	Lake Murray	Columbia, S.C.
TEXAS
Jan. 9	Lake Falcon	Zapata, Texas
Feb. 6	Sam Rayburn	Jasper, Texas
March 6	Red River	Natchitoches, La.
June 19	Toledo Bend	Manning, La.
Texas Regional	University of Texas
Oct. 23-25	Lake Austin	Austin, Texas
WESTERN
Jan. 16	Lake Shasta	Shasta Lake, Calif.
May 8	Lake Mead	Las Vegas, Nev.
June 12	California Delta	Stockton, Calif.
Sept. 25	Lake Roosevelt
Western Regional	Sacramento State	Payson, Ariz.
Oct. 16-18	Folsom Lake	Sacramento, Calif.

Full-time students at four-year institutions with a bass fishing club are eligible to compete. There is no entry fee, boats are provided and each team receives a travel allowance. Each qualifying event will accept up to 40 teams with the top five teams from each division advancing to their respective regional championship. The top five teams from each regional championship advance to the national championship. The team that takes home the national championship title qualifies for the Forrest Wood Cup.

Each team consists of two students competing for awards that are split between their bass fishing club and their respective school. Entries will be accepted online at CollegeFishing.com beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 8 a.m. Central time. For additional information, please visit CollegeFishing.com.

The FLW Walleye Tour will consist of two divisions; East and West. Each division will host three tournaments with a field of 150 boats and these tournaments will culminate with the FLW Walleye Tour Championship. The schedule is listed below.

Date	Fishery	Location
EAST
April 8-10	Detroit River	Trenton, Mich.
April 29-May 1	Illinois River	Spring Valley, Ill.
July 15-17	Lake Winnebago	Oshkosh, Wis.
WEST
May 20-22	Mississippi River	Red Wing, Minn.
June 24-26	Lake Oahe	Pierre, S.D.
July 29-31	Devils Lake	Devils Lake, N.D.
IFLW Walleye Tour Championship
Sept. 23-25	Leech Lake	Walker, Minn.

Pro entry fees will be $750 per tournament and co-angler entry-fees will be $250. Anglers will compete for top awards of $25,000 in the pro division and $5,000 in the co-angler division, with awards of $1,000 and $400, respectively, extending through 50th place. Anglers that participated in the FLW Walleye League, which will be discontinued, are encouraged to participate in the FLW Walleye Tour.

The top 50 pros and top 50 co-anglers from the 2009 FLW Walleye Tour and the top 10 boaters and top 10 co-anglers from the 2009 FLW Walleye League may register beginning Monday, Nov. 2 and must enter by Jan. 11 in order to secure their priority entry position for the 2010 season. Ranger boat owners may enter beginning Jan. 11 followed by Champion and Stratos boat owners and TBF members Jan. 12. General public entries will be accepted beginning Jan. 13. Pros and co-anglers who enter all three tournaments in a division with a counterpart by Jan. 13 will be given priority over anglers who enter less than three events. Deposits for all three events will be accepted online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000 beginning Monday, Nov. 2. Phones are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time. For additional information, visit FLWOutdoors.com.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player's Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.

FLWOutdoors.com

[djkimmel]

FLW OUTDOORS ANNOUNCES DATE AND LOCATION CHANGES FOR 2010 SCHEDULE
Advisory for Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009

WHAT:     Date and Location Changes to National Guard FLW Series and National Guard FLW College Fishing

NOTES:    FLW Outdoors announced that the Lake Mead and Lake Roosevelt events in the National Guard FLW Series and National Guard FLW College Fishing have been switched due to issues surrounding permits. The National Guard FLW College Fishing Western Regional dates have also been moved up one week.

The changes are reflected in the schedules below.

National Guard FLW Series

Date           Fishery             Location
Jan. 13-16     Lake Shasta         Shasta Lake, Calif.
May 5-8        Lake Mead           Las Vegas, Nev.
June 9-12      California Delta    Stockton, Calif.
Sept 22-25     Lake Roosevelt      Payson, Ariz.

National Guard FLW College Fishing Western Division

Date           Fishery             Location
Jan. 16        Lake Shasta         Shasta Lake, Calif.
May 8          Lake Mead           Las Vegas, Nev.
June 12        California Delta    Stockton, Calif.
Sept. 25       Lake Roosevelt      Payson, Ariz.

Western Regional – Sacramento State

Oct. 9-11      Folsom Lake         Sacramento, Calif.

For a complete schedule of events and additional information, please visit FLWOutdoors.com or CollegeFishing.com.

[djkimmel]

Eastern FLW Series is back on. See the separate post in that child board.