New Divisions
FLW Raises Bar In BFLs

Photo: FLW Outdoors

Here are the highlights:

> New divisions slated for 2005 are an Everglades Division in Florida, an Empire Division in New York, a Dixie Division in Alabama and a new North Carolina Division.

> Field sizes will remain the same (200 boaters and 200 co-anglers), though entry fees will increase. Boater entry fees will rise from $150 to $200 for one-day events and remain at $300 for Super Tournaments. Co-angler entry fees will increase from $75 to $100 for one-day tournaments and remain at $150 for Super Tournaments. That helps pay the freight a little, but since the total BFL purse will be increasing from $6.3 million this year to $8.4 million next year (a $2.1 million difference), it's not carrying the load.

> Each division will have four one-day tournaments and a two-day Super Tournament. The purse for each one-day tournament in all divisions will increase from $32,850 to $39,000 (based on full fields) while the payout at each Super Tournament is $70,950. With the increased purse, boaters will fish for a 1st-place award of as much as $5,500 in each one-day event and $8,400 in each Super Tournament. Co-anglers will be able to go after as much as $2,750 and $4,200, respectively.

> In addition, 10 more places will be paid in all tournaments: 40 in each one-day tournament, and 50 in each Super Tournament.

> Anglers who finish in the Top 40 in year-end points within a division will advance to one of seven Regionals, where they will compete for one of six slots in the 2006 All-American. Anglers who enter all five tournaments within a division but do not advance to Regional competition are eligible to fish the Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American.

> With the new divisions, a new no-entry-fee Regional will be added to the seven existing Regionals, which means 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers will qualify for the All-American during the 2005 season versus 42 and 42 this year. Purses for each Regional also grow, from $93,000 to $110,000, including a new Ranger boat and a new truck for the winning boater and a new Ranger for the winning co-angler.

> Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for 2nd, 198 for 3rd, etc. except for Super Tournaments, where 300 points are awarded to the winner, 299 for 2nd, 298 for 3rd, etc.

> The total purse for the 2006 All-American (based on 2005 results) will more than double, from $345,000 this year to $1 million. The winner still is guaranteed $100,000, but will have a shot at $40,000 more in the form of a Ranger contingency bonus of $20,000 and an Evinrude or Yamaha contingency bonus of $20,000. The winning co-angler gets $50,000, plus a shot at a Ranger contingency bonus of $10,000 and an Evinrude or Yamaha contingency bonus of $10,000.

> The boater runner-up at the All-American gets $25,000 (same as this year – and less than the winning co-angler), though will have a shot at another $25,000 in contingency bonuses. Third place pays $14,000 ($2,000 more than this year) and will have a shot at more than that ($18,000) in contingency bonuses. For co-anglers, the numbers are $15,000/$6,500 for 2nd and $7,000/$5,000 for 3rd.

Notable

> Quote from Charlie Hoover, president and CEO of FLW Outdoors: "Our company was built on providing quality fishing opportunities for the nation's weekend bass anglers. We listen to the marketplace and constantly strive to meet the wants and needs of the nation's tournament anglers. Elevating our BFL program from $6.3 million to $8.4 million over 149 events in 28 divisions shows how committed we are to continuing our legacy of leadership in providing grassroots fishing opportunities."

> As is the case in many bass fishing trails, Ranger Boats will award an additional $1,000 to winning BFL boaters if they participate in the Ranger Cup incentive program, or, if there is no winner, $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant.