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FLW Outdoors News

‘FLW Outdoors’ highlights resurgence of Lake Okeechobee

MINNEAPOLIS (March 17, 2011) – In early February, the world’s best bass anglers descended on Clewiston, Fla., to fish Lake Okeechobee for the first event of the 2011 Walmart FLW Tour. Complete coverage of the tournament presented by Evinrude, which saw FLW Outdoors records fall, will air Sunday, March 20, from 1-2 p.m. ET on VERSUS as part of the weekly “FLW Outdoors” program. The show puts fans right in the middle of the action with exclusive on-the-water coverage of the top anglers competing for the title.

The Tour season-opening event saw a resurgence of top-notch bass fishing at Lake Okeechobee, and fans and anglers were treated to some spectacular weigh-ins throughout the tournament. The first-place purse of $125,000 went to local pro Brandon McMillan as he came from behind to claim his first Tour title.

With his total cumulative weight of 106 pounds, 10 ounces, McMillan, a resident of Belle Glade, Fla., set the new Tour record for heaviest total weight. The win was special in another way as his father, Jimmy, won the FLW Series event on Lake Okeechobee in 2009, giving the family two significant wins on the fishery and a quarter-million dollars in prize money.

McMillan opened the tournament determined to flip mats, despite the urge to sight-fish in the warm, sunny weather. He didn’t get as many bites as the other finalists, but the average size was much bigger. On day one he caught 27 pounds; on day two he sacked 28-14. He put 25-5 in the boat on the third day of competition, and the final day he rallied from fourth to first on the strength of a 25-pound, 7-ounce limit.

Pushing McMillan every step of the way and fishing in the same vicinity was EverStart pro Randall Tharp of Gardendale, Ala. Tharp’s four-day catch also cleared the century mark, but fell just short at 102-2. One of Tharp’s biggest goals is to win on Lake Okeechobee, but the title proved elusive once again, earning him $35,000 for his second-place effort.

Chad Prough of Chipley, Fla., led the first two days of the tournament with limits that weighed more than 30 pounds. In the end, his area ran dry and his four-day total of 100-15 earned him $30,000. Terry Scroggins of San Mateo, Fla., finished in fourth with 99-9 to earn $25,000, while Gillette/Duracell pro Jacob Powroznik of Prince George, Va., weighed in at 95-0 and took home $20,000.

“FLW Outdoors” airs on VERSUS in high-definition (HD) Sundays from 1-2 p.m. ET. Hosted by Jason Harper, “FLW Outdoors,” is broadcast to more than 500 million households worldwide through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport. FLWOutdoors.com also provides an online guide listing upcoming episodes of “FLW Outdoors.” In addition, each episode of “FLW Outdoors” is available on demand in its entirety on FLWOutdoors.com/flwondemand.

ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
FLW Outdoors is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge. For more information about FLW Outdoors and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com.