Once-in-a-lifetime trip culminates with $2,000 first place prize
FLIPPIN, Ark. - Wyatt Blevins and Carson Rejzer, collegiate anglers from Virginia Tech University, laid claim to the 2012 Ranger Cup University Challenge at Lake Amistad with their victory over collegiate anglers Geoffrey Hill and Justin Hewlett from Georgia Southern University. The one-day, winner take all fish-off matched the highest-qualifying teams from the BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing National Championship and the FLW College Fishing National Championship.

Indiana pro Billy McDonald announced recently that he’s committed to fishing the entire 2013 Walmart FLW Tour season. McDonald competed in the four FLW Tour Opens in 2012 and qualified for the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup by finishing fourth in the points race. His Evinrude-powered Ranger boat will be wrapped by Lucas Marine Products in 2013.

JACKSON, Wis. - A wise man once said, "Knowledge is power and enthusiasm pulls the switch." Surely such a prophetic individual must have been an ice angler, and very likely, a keen follower of tripping tip-up flags. For when the 'ice trap' artists at Frabill set out to fashion a whole new level of tip-up technology, this very precept imbued the Calibrator Line Counter Tip-Up with both knowledge-giving traits and extraordinary performance.

Coming off two sensational seasons as a Walmart FLW Tour co-angler, Casey Martin will step up and compete on the 2013 FLW Tour as a professional. The New Market, Ala., fisherman won back-to-back tournaments to conclude the 2011 season and claimed the fifth qualifier of the 2012 season on Kentucky Lake.

JACKSON, Wis. - Only one season ago Frabill hit the reset button on ice fishing reels. Spinning reels still reign, and are core to the sport, but the radically different Straightline yielded an advantage that simply couldn't be spun out previously: line twist. The friendly-flow off the Straightline reel keeps line in its original, off-the-shelf, untwisted condition. Now, the ice-heads at Frabill have taken the same principles and amped up the technology, divining the Straightline 241 Bro Series Combo.

A superb pitching, flipping and punching bait, the Palmetto BugZ’s streamlined design allows it to slide through the nastiest cover with ease, while its super-soft, ringed, four-inch body emits loads of vibration. Best of all, its salt-impregnated ElaZtech construction is built to last so you can keep landing the big ones. Cast after cast, fish after fish.

FORT SMITH, Ark. - Three-time FLW Tour Angler of the Year David Dudley has agreed to a sponsorship contract with Booyah Bait Company, a leading U.S. brand of premium spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and jigs.

Canadian bass fisherman Jeff Gustafson announced Thursday he has committed to fishing the entire 2013 Walmart FLW Tour season. Gustafson competed in the four FLW Tour Opens in 2012 and cashed checks at each, despite being a rookie with little or no previous lake knowledge. He finished the season 14th in the points race.

Mercury Marine is proud to introduce seven new propellers to round out the high-performance Enertia and Revolution 4 propeller lineups.

Without a doubt, the Alabama rig was the hottest news in bass fishing for 2012. The castable version of the multi-armed contraption that looks like the wireframe of an umbrella has seemingly found a permanent place aboard the majority of bass boats across the country. Where the cumbersome rig hasn’t fit in so well, is into the rod lockers and storage compartments on those boats. Plano has now solved that problem.

Richmond, Calif. - In an effort to further promote brand recognition and take advantage of the exposure possibilities of working with one of the premier anglers in the sport, River2Sea has agreed to become the title sponsor of Ish Monroe for the 2012 Walmart FLW Tour.

Woodland, Wash. - Lamiglas continued its resurgence into the bass fishing world with the signing of Castrol pro David Dudley. The agreement will have the current and three-time FLW Tour Angler of the Year using Lamiglas rods exclusively.

Collierville, Tenn. – Upon its recent notoriety in conjunction with an FLW tournament win and the subsequent buzz surrounding it, Strike King Lure Company is now prepared to unleash their newest monster bass catcher to the world. Allow us to introduce you to the Strike King 10XD!

Woodland, Wash. - FLW Tour pro Justin Lucas has agreed to a sponsorship package with Lamiglas rods. The 26 year old Lucas has a stellar tournament record where he's won over $400,000 with FLW. Over the past two seasons, as a professional angler, Lucas has amassed five top-10 finishes including two second place finishes in 2012.

MINNETONKA, Minn. - Rapala, the world’s favorite fishing lure and Polaris, the recognized leader in the powersports industry, have formed a strategic marketing partnership, further elevating Rapala’s ICE FORCE brand, which serves the ice fishing market.

VALENCIA, Calif. – Damiki Fishing Tackle has been hard at work producing innovative products to complement their lineup for the upcoming year. After considerable time and effort, Damiki is proud to introduce a new creature bait – the Knockout. The 4-inch Knockout is as versatile as it gets when it comes to soft plastics. Originally created with flipping and punching in mind, the Knockout can also be used as a jig trailer or with Texas and Carolina rigs.

For the first time, over three generations of Hibdon bass fishing knowledge is available to the public. Hibdon Fishing 101 gives you access to their combined century of award winning fishing experience. The Hibdon’s professional and extensive knowledge is now available to the public through these private lectures.

STURTEVANT, Wis. - Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce (RAMAC) today named BRP its Manufacturing Business of the Year for 2012. The award comes as BRP recently completed a $15 million renovation of its Evinrude campus in Sturtevant, Wis., which outfitted the facility with the latest technology and manufacturing equipment.

TULSA, Okla. - Lowrance, a world-leading brand in marine electronics since 1957 and GPS navigational systems since 1992 - announced today that it has expanded its HDS Gen2 range, with the new wide-format, touchscreen HDS Gen2 Touch. Delivering the same award-winning benefits that made the HDS High Definition System the world's top-selling multifunction display series, Gen2 Touch models incorporate new easier-to-use, wide touchscreens in 7-, 9- and 12-inch sizes.

TULSA, Okla. - Lowrance, a world-leading brand in marine electronics since 1957 and GPS navigational systems since 1992 - announced today the launch of its new website at www.lowrance.com. Greatly enhancing access to Lowrance's award-winning product lineup, the new site makes it easy for customers to obtain product details and pricing, share product information with friends and quickly access support information, manuals and software updates.

CAMDENTON, Mo. - As the old adage says; "all good things must come to an end." Thus, legendary angler, Denny Brauer, of Camdenton, Mo., has decided to retire from tour competition following the 2012 season.

LADSON, S.C. - Continuing to ride the wave of media interest, tournament success, and the ensuing groundswell of consumer demand that its product lineup has created, Z-Man Fishing Products is proud to announce its move to a new state-of-the-art facility in Ladson, S.C., to better accommodate growth and allow for future expansion.

ELWOOD, Ind. – Red Gold, Inc., announced this week the re-signing of FLW Tour Pro Todd Hollowell to a multi-year agreement. “Todd proved last year that he is not only an excellent fisherman, but an outstanding representative of our company and our values,” said Colt Reichart, Red Gold’s Manager of New Media Communications.

MINNETONKA, Minn. - In the game of firsts, no lure manufacturer sets the bar quite like Rapala, and the new BX Series featuring the first-of-its-kind BX Swimmer and BX Minnow is no exception.

AUBURN, Calif. - FLW Tour angler Cody Meyer recently agreed to terms with Typhoon Polarized Optics. Meyer wrapped up his third season on the Walmart FLW Tour with an 11th-place finish at the Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Lanier. That 11th-place finish follows three consecutive top-7 finishes in the Cup.