Angler lands 'catch of a lifetime'

“I thought I had some sort of really large largemouth. It started stripping line like you were in the ocean”

HORSEHEADS -- Gary Sempler of Horseheads was looking for some decent bass fishing when he and a couple of buddies took to a private waterway near his home a few weeks ago. via PressConnects.com

Full story: PressConnects.com

DON’T MISS OUT ON the national boat, caravan and outdoor show 2008

Written By: Danielle Carter
On Date: 6/9/2007

At 30% bigger than last year’s show and measuring the equivalent of 24 football pitches[1], the National Boat, Caravan and Outdoor Show promises something for everyone when its doors open from the 19th-24th February 2008. The UK’s biggest outdoor leisure show is now in its 47th year and keeps on growing. With a fresh new layout, it will span six halls at the Birmingham NEC over six days featuring the largest ever display of caravans, motorhomes, boats, tents and holiday homes. Visitors will also be able to take a look at a wide selection of holiday destinations and plan their next trip.

With such a diverse range of products and activities on offer, the show caters for everyone from the most avid camper through to families who are simply looking for a fun, good value day out. Visitors can see exclusive 2008 product launches and get involved in activities such as archery, climbing, and canoeing in an indoor pool. There will also be discounts and deals to be had on a wealth of merchandise and accessories. And you don’t have to rush to see it all in just one day; not only can visitors park for free but they can also camp on site and make the most of their trip.

Show highlights:

NEW! Yeomans Tent & Camping Hall – The Pavilion Hall

This hall will house the biggest indoor tent display in the UK supplied by Yeaomans Outdoors! Visitors will see over 150 pitched tents on display, with a huge choice including specialist lightweight back packer tents, 2–16 berth dome tents, family frame tents, trailer tents and folding campers. The new 2008 range of tents from Outwell, Coleman, Vango, Khyman, Peakland, Cabanon and Conway among others will be on display before you can buy them in the shops. Visitors can also discover a huge range of related accessories and must-have gadgets from a plethora of exhibitors selling everything from sleeping bags and backpacks to waterproofs and cooking equipment. And with special show deals and offers on thousands of tents, awnings and camping accessories even the most reluctant of people will be tempted into the outdoors.

NEW! Boat & Marine – Hall 1

The show offers the largest choice of boats, chandlery and accessories north of London in a new dedicated boat hall, which is 20% bigger than last year. This hall has a huge range of boats on display including offshore cruisers, power boats, river boats, sport boats, canoes, kayaks, jet bikes, RIBs, dinghies and inflatables. Step on board luxury motoryachts from Sunseeker, Fairline, Cranchi, Hanse and many others in the Marina. Visitors can also pay a visit to the Inland Waterways Village to see the show’s largest ever display of narrowboats and inland craft from many of the big name boat builders including Sea Otter, Midland Canal Centre, The New Boat Co., Liverpool Boats and Amber Boats. The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) will also be on hand to offer free advice and information on how to get started on the water.

NEW! Holiday Homes, Park Homes & Destinations – Hall 2

A whole hall of the very latest holiday homes, park homes and lodges. Visitors can view new 2008 lodges, holiday homes and park homes from companies such as, Willerby, Wessex Homes, Tingdene, Salop, Omar, Homeseeker, Allens and Atlas with many exclusively launching lodges at the show. Over 20 units will be on display for visitors to explore and there’s also the opportunity to choose your ideal park location and take a look at the many destinations on offer both in the UK and overseas.

Motorhomes & Touring Caravans – Halls 3, 4 & 5

Visitors will be able to discover new, exclusive, Spring model launches from leading manufacturers including the Swift Group, the Explorer Group, Bailey and many more as well as thousands of new 2008 models from Autocruise, Autosleeper, Autotrail, Coachman, Geist, Fifth Wheel, Pilote, Rapido, Lunar and Avondale among others. Novices will also be able to get help and advice on how to get started touring from The National Caravan Council, The Camping & Caravanning Club, and The Caravan Club. Visitors won’t want to miss the Towsure Accessory superstore, where bargains can be had on cleaning chemicals, outdoor heaters, satellite and TV aerials, mobile mains units, security products and more. Thousands of accessories and outdoor products will be on offer including the latest awnings and porches with lots of show offers to be had.

Don’t miss out on getting first hand tips from the experts. The Caravan Club advisors will be lending their experience and offering free motorcaravan manouvering courses and caravan towing lessons!

And if that wasn’t enough, you can also experience the best tow cars and 4X4’s including The Caravan Club’s Tow Car of the Year winners, as well as find out the latest news on holiday destinations, 'dayout' venues and campsites around the UK and Europe, with thousands of places to visit over the Spring and Summer, so there’s plenty of time to start planning the perfect 2008 holiday.

Tickets are now on sale from the ticket hotline on 0870 730 0963 at the below prices. Visitors can collect a FREE show guide (RRP £4) at the show when they book their tickets in advance of 18th February 2008. Parking is FREE for visitors (normally £8).

Advance Tickets
On the Door Tickets

Adults
£11.50
£14

Seniors
£8.50
£11

Children
£4
£5

Family (2 adults 3 kids)
£30
£35

Group ticket (10+ adults)
£10.50 each
n/a

Call The Camping and Caravanning Club on 0845 130 7257 for more information about the on site camping. Second day admission to the show is half price for campers.
For further information, please contact Danielle Carter or Flora Neeson
Brave PR on 020 7802 8111
danielle.c@bravepr.com / flora.n @bravepr.com

Hibdon Leads Wal-Mart FLW Series On Lake Champlain

(Sep. 05, 2007 - PLATTSBURGH, N.Y.)... Mild temperatures and smooth water greeted anglers in the Wal-Mart FLW Series BP Eastern Division tournament on Lake Champlain on Wednesday. The weather gave anglers ample opportunities to make an impact on the first day of competition, but in the end, team BP pro Guido Hibdon of Gravois Mills, Mo., landed five bass weighing 23 pounds even to lead day one of the event. He now holds a 2-pound, 8-ounce lead in the $1 million tournament featuring 190 pros and 190 co-anglers representing 33 states, Canada and Japan.

"Largemouth is all I fished for today," said Hibdon, who has won more than $314,000 in FLW Outdoors events. "I fished not too far away today. I may not catch them again, but the other guys have overlooked some close ones."

Hibdons son, team Chevy pro Dion, had mechanical problems with his motor and called Hibdon to ask if he would come get him.

"He told me that he had a pretty good bag (of fish) and that he was broke down," Hibdon said. "I asked him, ’How good a bag? I had to (rib) him some. But I went and hauled him in."

Hibdon said he caught 20 keepers and had his 23-pound bag by 10 a.m. and then received the call from Dion.

"After I had that 23 pounds, I just quit," Hibdon said. "I lost two good ones. Where I’m fishing, I’m in extremely thick stuff, and I just couldnt get to them. But I knew once I had that weight that there was no point in bruising them. I just decided to lay off."

Brian Bylotas of Olyphant, Penn., trails Hibdon in the No. 2 spot with five bass weighing 20-8.

Rounding out the top five pros are Skeeter/Yamaha pro Danny Correia of Marlborough, Mass. (five bass, 20-6); team Gain pro Koby Kreiger of Okeechobee, Fla. (five bass, 20-3) and team Kelloggs pro Clark Wendlandt of Leander, Texas (five bass, 19-11).

Skeeter/Yamaha pro Bud Pruitt of Spring, Texas, earned the days $500 Snickers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 6-pound, 7-ounce bass he caught.

Overall there were 877 bass weighing 2,380 pounds, 4 ounces caught by 187 pros Wednesday. The catch included 157 five-bass limits.

Pros are competing this week for a top award of $125,000 plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the BP East-National Guard West Fishoff and a shot at advancing to the $2 million, 2008 Forrest Wood Cup, where the winning pro will earn as much as $1 million – the sports biggest award. The top 30 pros from both FLW Series divisions after four qualifying events are complete will advance to the East-West Fishoff, which will be held Jan. 17-19, 2008. The location for the fishoff has not yet been announced. Thirty winners from the fishoff will advance to the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup.

Wally Coward of Beech Island, S.C., who had never caught a smallmouth before day one of competition, put together an 18-pound, 9-ounce limit of them and leads the Co-angler Division followed by Lynn Baciuska of Afton, N.Y., and Mark Phillips of Fayetteville, Ark., who are tied for second place with five bass weighing 17-2.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Dererk Savage of Port St. Lucie, Fla. (five bass, 16-14) and Marc Lamphier of Burlington, Vt. (five bass, 16-7).

Tom Luciano of Pottersville, N.Y., earned $300 for the Snickers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 5-pound bass he caught while fishing with pro Roger Crafton of Boca Grande, Fla.

Overall there were 608 bass weighing 1,355 pounds, 3 ounces caught by 173 co-anglers Wednesday. The catch included 68 five-bass limits.

Co-anglers are competing this week for a top award of $25,000. Like the pros, the top 30 co-anglers from both FLW Series divisions after four qualifying events are complete will advance to the East-West Fishoff for a shot at the $2 million, 2008 Forrest Wood Cup.

Anglers will take off at 6:30 each morning from Dock Street Landing located at 2 Dock St. in Plattsburgh. Thursday and Fridays weigh-in will be held at the marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturdays weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 25 Consumer Square in Plattsburgh, beginning at 4 p.m. Children will also be treated to a Family Fun Zone prior to Saturdays weigh-in from noon to 4 p.m. at Wal-Mart. Activities in the Family Fun Zone include the Fujifilm trout pond, a Ranger boat simulator and assorted fishing-themed games. All activities are free and open to the public.

In FLW Series competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The entire field competes for the first three days, and co-angler competition concludes on day three with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated three-day weight. The top 10 professionals continue competition on day four, and the winner is determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from all four days.
FLW Outdoors historically maintains a 98 percent live release rate in all of its bass tournaments.

Coverage of the Lake Champlain FLW Series tournament will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program airing Nov. 4. "FLW Outdoors" airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast internationally to approximately 350 million households in Europe, Africa and Asia, making it the most widely distributed weekly fishing program 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.

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, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, 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 of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.

Wal-Mart and many of Americas 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 worlds leading supporter of tournament fishing.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.

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