FLW Outdoors Announces Multi-Million Dollar Investment in Collegiate Bass Tournament Circuit for 2009

BENTONVILLE, Ark., May. 16 /PRNewswire/ --

BENTONVILLE, Ark., May 16 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of its wildly popular $7.3 million Fantasy Fishing league, which debuted earlier this year, FLW Outdoors and its impressive lineup of sponsors -- including Wal-Mart, the National Guard, BP, Chevrolet, P&G and others -- have announced another multi-million dollar program that is sure to lure record numbers of young men and women to the sport of tournament bass fishing.

The program, announced Thursday by FLW Outdoors Chairman Irwin L. Jacobs at the organization's annual gathering of more than 350 representatives from 42 sponsor companies in Bentonville, Ark., home of Wal-Mart, is a televised collegiate bass-fishing circuit that offers lucrative scholarships in 20 one-day qualifying events, five televised two-day regional championships with weigh-ins held on college campuses, a televised three-day national championship offering a record purse and berths into the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup.

FLW Outdoors will provide boats and observers for all participants, who will compete as two-person teams in each qualifier. Scholarships will be awarded to the top five teams in each event and every team participating will receive a travel allowance. The top five teams from each qualifier will also advance to one of five regional championships. Scholarships will once again be awarded to the top five teams in each regional, and every team participating will receive a travel allowance. Universities and colleges represented by the top five teams in each regional also benefit, as they will receive donations in each team's name. The top five teams from each regional will advance to the national championship. The national champions will be invited to the Forrest Wood Cup, where they will be provided use of a Chevy truck and Ranger boat wrapped in their school colors as they compete for a first place prize of up to $1 million.

The entry fee for all of this? Zero. Participation is free and open to all full-time students who belong to a fishing club recognized by a four-year university or college, provided all club members are also FLW Outdoors members.

"Tournament bass fishing at the collegiate level has existed for some years now, but never on a scale comparable to what we will be offering," said Charlie Evans, FLW Outdoors president and CEO. "We view our new collegiate program as a quantum leap forward for the sport and for both male and female college students, who, for the first time, can jump into tournament fishing without worrying about boat access or entry fees. It's an unprecedented opportunity for the next generation of great anglers in this country and for the industry as a whole."

There are more than 1,800 four-year colleges and universities in the United States with approximately 17 million full-time students. Currently there are 126 colleges and universities with school-sanctioned fishing clubs.

Additional details, including the schedule, will be released soon.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.

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