TEAM FOLGERS WINS WAL-MART FLW KINGFISH TOUR EVENT IN FORT PIERCE
6/3/06
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (June 3, 2006) - Team Folgers / Off Shore Authority captained by David Kingery of Melbourne, Fla., caught a 2-kingfish total weighing 88 pounds, 10 ounces to win the $330,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour event presented by Raymarine in Fort Pierce. Kingery, along with teammates Randy Truitt of Melbourne and Brett Taylor of Fellsmere, won $100,000 cash.
Team Folgers opened the tournament in first place Thursday with a kingfish weighing 57 pounds, 13 ounces, which is the heaviest king mackerel caught to date in the two-year-old FLW King Fish Tour. The monster kingfish bested two fish from last year, a 56-9 caught by Team Slip N' Slide at Venice, La., and a 56-5 caught by Team Cat Daddy at Fort Pierce. Knowing it would be difficult to improve on that catch, the team spent Friday looking for new areas to fish. Saturday, the team caught a 30-pound, 13-ounce king to secure their first FLW Kingfish Tour win.
"It's unbelievable," said Kingery, whose team placed fourth during the 2005 Ft. Pierce FLW Kingfish Tour event. "To win at home and picking up Folgers as a sponsor just a few weeks ago - you couldn't ask for better timing."
Kingery led his team back to the area where their monster king was caught Thursday only to find less than desirable water conditions. He decided to make a move to a spot he marked on his electronics while pre-fishing.
"We moved to a ledge that we found last Saturday," he said. "That's where we caught our fish today - our only fish."
The 30-pound king mackerel slammed a ribbonfish while it was being lowered on a downrigger. The team also used blue runners and greenies while concentrating their efforts in 50 feet of water during the tournament.
Rounding out the top five teams are Team Lured Away captained by Robert Schoenfeld of Conroe, Texas (79 pounds, 6 ounces, $17,000); Team Steve's Seafood captained by Steve Riley of Jacksonville, Fla. (60 pounds, 6 ounces, $10,000 plus $5,250 Yamaha bonus); Team Triple Gobble captained by Greg Weathers of Pawley's Island, S.C. (44 pounds, 11 ounces, $8,000 plus $4,250 Hydra-Sports bonus and $4,250 Yamaha bonus); and Team Bitta Sweet captained Jerry Tumbleston of Mt. Pleasant, S.C. (43 pounds, 12 ounces, $7,000 plus $3,750 Hydra-Sports bonus and $3,750 Yamaha bonus).
FLW Kingfish Tour qualifying tournaments are three-day events. The entire field competes Thursday and Friday, and the top five teams compete Saturday. The winning team is determined based on the heaviest kingfish from Thursday or Friday plus the heaviest kingfish from Saturday.
Coverage of the Fort Pierce tournament hosted by the St. Lucie Chamber of Commerce will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States July 23 as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program. "FLW Outdoors" airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.
The $1.82 million Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour consists of four regular-season events. After four events are complete, the top 50 teams compete in the three-day, no-entry-fee $500,000 Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour Championship to be held in Mount Pleasant, S.C., Nov. 9-11. The winning team at the championship will take home as much as $150,000.
The FLW Kingfish Tour will stop in Beaufort, S.C., Aug. 10-12 for its third regular-season event, presented by Yamaha, followed by the last qualifying event, powered by Tyson, in Southport, N.C., Sept. 21-23.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners' Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
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Editors: Visit the FLW Outdoors Media Center at http://mc.flwoutdoors.com for additional information.
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