FANTASY FISHING
2/20/2008 11:45:43 AM by Sandy Lindsey
Anglers the world over are set to gear up for FLW Outdoors’ 2008 season, which promises bigger prizes, fierce competition and more excitement than ever. Get ready to fish like you’ve never fished before.
Photos courtesy of FLW Outdoors
The giant engines roar as a field of high-speed fishing boats race off to their favorite fishing hole to land the big one that will earn them a trophy in today’s tournament. The wake-churned waters foam then soon subside as professional anglers and talented amateurs set up in their desired spot, often one nearly on top of each other. The sound of spinning reels echoes lightly across the water as lines are tossed and the hunt begins. The tension is thick. This is not only a challenge between clever man against clever man, but between all the skill and technology of mankind against some very wily fish. After all, the largest fish, those that will bring in the best prize money, didn’t grow to their current size by being caught. The American Dream just doesn’t get any better than this. Or does it?
FLW Outdoors chairman Irwin Jacobs is making recreational and sportfishing even more fun and prosperous with a recently launched fantasy-fishing competition with $7.3 million in cash and prizes and a $1 million grand prize. This record payout pushes FantasyFishing.com past all other online fantasy-sports programs. The nearest prize is only one-quarter the amount — a mere $250,000 offered by an online fantasy-football club. there are more than 4,000 prizes including a cherry Silverado, Ranger Boats, ATVs, PWCs and U.S. Savings Bonds as well as gas and gift cards awarded for high scores.
“Fantasy fishing will undoubtedly change the perception of professional angling forever and raise the level of spectatorship to unprecedented new heights,” says FLW Outdoors President and CEO Charlie Evans. “This increase in awareness of the FLW Outdoors and spectator attendance at events will allow for tremendous new opportunities for anglers, fans and sponsors alike.”
The competition begins when participants choose from a register of true-life anglers to compile their own personal fantasy team. Once chosen, the teams face off against the teams of other website participants. The fantasy concept has been a huge hit, showing industry growth up to an impressive 10 percent, reports FLW Outdoors. Team registration is free, however, those wishing to get inside information including detailed pro angler profiles, lake conditions, expert commentary, can opt to pay the $39.95 fee, which also includes an online subscription to all three editions of FLW Outdoors Magazine and a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.
The fantasy-fishing payout comes at a key time in the sport. Currently there are more than 50 million licensed angers in the U.S. Their numbers, however, have been decreasing in recent years. Fantasyfishing.com is one more way Jacobs and FLW Outdoors are working hard to increase interest in the sport. “We are in the business of providing tournament opportunities for everyone from weekend anglers to top professionals,” says Jacobs. “Countless dreams are built around our sport, and demand for professional-level events has grown rapidly since the introduction of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour over a decade ago.”
“Fishing is the fastest-growing sport today,” adds Jacobs. “Fishing literally has no boundaries. You can be young or old, male or female, tall or short, any race, religion or nationality. FLW Outdoors and fishing exemplify a clean, all-American sport.”
This whispers of record payouts for 2008 comes at the close of the 2007 season, which was the most impressive yet with an unprecedented 18 tournaments offering amounts of $1 million or more each; 17 of those tournaments were FLW Outdoors events. “All of our program enhancements for 2008 were adopted to continue to grow the sport,” says Evans. “Our mission is to provide the absolute best tournaments possible for our anglers, our sponsors and our fans. We had a terrific 2007 season and 2008 promises to be even better.”
HULKMANIA HITS THE WATER
Get all the details behind Hulk Hogan’s recent partnership with the world’s largest professional fishing tournament organizations, FLW Outdoors and FLW Fantasy Fishing.
Hulk Hogan, one of the most charismatic pro-wrestlers of all time and co-host of the new wildly popular NBC-TV show American Gladiators has teamed up with FLW Outdoors to become the celebrity spokesperson of its world-renown professional angler fishing tournaments and its new FLW Fantasy Fishing game in 2008, the largest and richest fantasy sports game in the world. Fans the world over have followed Hogan from his beginnings as the world’s biggest pro wrestling star to his induction into the WWF Hall of Fame and his more recent successes. “With Hulk Hogan on board, professional and recreational fishing is ready to experience unprecedented growth,” says Irwin Jacobs, chairman of FLW Outdoors. “Just as we’ve built the largest professional angling tournament organization in the world over the past 13 years, and now with the introduction of the largest and richest fantasy sports game in the world, FLW Outdoors’ new Fantasy Fishing will be making millions of sports fans worldwide aware of FLW Fantasy Fishing similar to what Hogan did in the world of professional wresting from a cult following into mainstream entertainment. He is the perfect person to represent FLW Outdoors’ new $7.3 million fantasy fishing game.” Hogan will take center stage in a variety of venues for FLW Outdoors including a two-day personal appearance at this year’s first Wal-Mart FLW Tournament being held at Lake Toho in Kissimmee, Florida, from Feb. 28 to Mar. 3. Additionally, the Hulk will be hosting multiple podcasts covering the tournaments; writing a blog and various articles for the FLW Fantasy Fishing website, FantasyFishing.com; making several personal appearances in 2008 on behalf of FLW Outdoors as well as many other activities across all mediums. For more information on Fantasy Fishing, go to FantasyFishing.com; For information on FLW Outdoors, go to FLWoutdoors.com.
“Our company was founded on providing affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments for bass anglers,” continues Evans. “These anglers are the heart and soul of FLW Outdoors, and we take great pride in providing them with the best possible tournament options as well as a clear pathway for advancement to the sport’s highest levels — namely the Stren Series, Wal-Mart FLW Series and Wal-Mart FLW Tour. Nowhere else do anglers have the opportunity to fish five close-to-home tournaments with a shot at advancing to not just one, but three no-entry-fee championships, including the sport’s biggest championship where they could win as much as $1 million cash (in 2007).”
In addition to having the best compensation around for bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and others, FLW Outdoors competitions are also some of the easiest to participate in. High-tech systems and procedures have lessened wait times with check-in kiosks offering state-of-the-art interactive weigh-ins (available on the internet via FLW Live), instant weigh-in receipts with all relevant information such as boat number, check-in time, etc., and the availability of in-water weigh-ins which reduce stress on the fish for a reduced environmental impact. The result of all this computerized data input means that the output is equally quick. FLW Outdoors boasts the quickest printouts of current standings and payouts after weigh-ins. The process is continually being refined and improved upon to make FLW events about fishing and fun, not administrative details.
FLW’s NAMESAKE
If you’ve ever wondered what the letters FLW in FLW Outdoors stand for, read on to get the scoop on the man that has not only influenced the name of the successful tourney organization, but everything else that comes along with it.
FLW Outdoors, the world’s largest and most respected tournament organization, is named after fishing giant Forrest L. Wood, founder of Ranger Boats. “Whenever I see a Ranger boat being towed down the road, I get a lump in my throat because I know the owner is driving the best boat made and that he will be comfortable, safe and proud of his Ranger,” says Wood. “We always remember that our customers work hard for their money.”
Wood is also as proud of his other achievement, FLW Outdoors. Though the organization has its roots in bass fishing, in recent years the organization has grown to include saltwater events and walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass tournaments.
Wood says he still fishes as often as he can, though his schedule doesn’t always permit it. The memories he’s had participating in the sport, however, will last a lifetime. “One time when my wife Nina and I were fishing on Lake Okeechobee in Florida, she made a cast and landed herself a pelican,” he muses. “She reeled it in and quickly practiced catch-and-release. We got a big kick out of it at the time and still get a laugh or two now and then.”
“FLW Outdoors is more than a name — it embodies a wholesome way of life that we support,” says Jacobs. “We are 100 percent committed to competitive fishing, which has been the cornerstone of our organization, but as FLW Outdoors, our audience expands beyond the millions of Americans who fish to all of the Americans who enjoy a variety of outdoor activities.”