ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 2, 1997 TAG: 9701020077
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: OUTDOORS
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
Three years ago, Bill Watson participated in one of those B.A.S.S. tournaments that pairs amateurs with pros. He fished with several big-name competitors - Guido Hibdon, Jimmy Houston, Bob Hamilton.
``When I came back, everybody asked, `What did you learn?''' said Watson, who lives in Christiansburg. ``I learned that I can fish as good as these guys can.''
Watson, 55, is backing those words with commitment and cash. He is fishing the B.A.S.S. Eastern Invitational circuit and the new Wal-Mart FLW tour.
The Wal-Mart FLW tour begins Jan. 8 with a $368,400 tournament on Lake Okeechobee in Florida. First-place prize is $100,000.
The new tour is the buzz of the industry. It is offering big exposure, big prize money and big competition for B.A.S.S., which pretty much has had high-profile bass fishing to itself.
``FLW'' stands for Forrest L. Wood, the man who helped modernize bass fishing with his Ranger boats. In early December, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., joined as a major sponsor, giving the tour a huge dose of stability and credibility. Already on board were Chevrolet, Evinrude and Johnson Outboards and Ranger boats. This is a big deal.
The format is five tournaments, each featuring a $368,400 purse, followed by the Forest Wood Open, which will give competitive angling its first $1 million purse along with sport fishing's largest cash prize - $200,000 to the winner.
One of the first five tournaments, April 30-May 3, will be held at Virginia's Kerr Lake.
Leaders in the first five tournaments and the open will qualify for the Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship, Nov.5-8 on Lake Ferguson in Greenville, Miss. The total money being awarded is $3.1 million, according to Brian Sayner, a tour official.
Watson figures it will cost him about $20,000 to fish the tour, considering the huge entry fee and the expenses of traveling. Unlike the pros, he doesn't have major sponsors.
``I tell everybody I am sponsored by Team Donna,'' he said, referring to his wife, Donna. ``She gets upset when I don't bring a check home.''
With the first FLW tournament of the season starting next week, Watson's confidence received a welcome boost Sunday when he paired with his brother, Jerry, to win the North Carolina Bass Champions tournament at Lake Gaston with a 17.83-pound total.
The FLW tour was developed in 1996 when it sponsored several initial tournaments. Fishermen who signed on with the new venture - and that included Watson - were given first crack at the 1997 slots, which quickly were filled. The tour is expected to develop its own stars, but it also has hooked some of the big names from B.A.S.S, including Denny Brauer and David Fritts.
Television will play a major role. The tournaments will be shown on tape in prime time on ESPN2. One of the hosts is Jerry McKinnis.
During the four-day format, competitors will be eliminated for a final fish-off involving five pros, each followed by a television crew.
Some participants, Watson included, believe the new tour will elevate competitive angling to a new level, and expose bass fishing to millions of TV viewers.
It also is destined to cause B.A.S.S. to shake loose more cash for its tournament participants.
``I think you will see some big changes in B.A.S.S. the next several years as far as their money pay-offs,'' Watson said. ``I know a couple of guys who aren't fishing B.A.S.S. this year. They are committing totally to FLW.''
LENGTH: Medium: 68 linesby CNB