MINNEAPOLIS (Sept. 27, 2016) – FLW announced Tuesday the Costa FLW Series rules, entry fees and payouts for the 2017 season. The season will again consist of three events in each of the five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western – along with the no-entry-fee Costa FLW Series Championship to be held on Kentucky Lake in Paris, Tennessee.
The top 40 pros and co-anglers who fished all three qualifiers in each U.S. division advance to the no-entry-fee FLW Series Championship for a shot at winning $95,000, including a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower outboard in the pro division. The second-place championship pro earns $25,000 followed by $20,000 for third and $15,000 for fourth. The winning co-angler at the championship earns as much as $32,000, including a Ranger Z175, while the second-place championship co-angler earns $12,500 followed by $10,000 for third and $7,500 for fourth.
The highest finishing pro from each of the five U.S. FLW Series divisions and the FLW Series International division based on final results at the 2017 FLW Series Championship will qualify for the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup along with the overall top five finishers not already selected as the highest finisher in a division. A total of 11 FLW Series pros will advance to the 2018 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing.
Entry fees for the Costa FLW Series are unchanged for 2017 at $1,600 per tournament for pros and $550 per for co-anglers.
Each qualifying tournament pays as much as $85,000, including a Ranger Z518C with a 200 HP outboard, to the winning pro and $32,000, including a Ranger Z175 with a 90 HP outboard, to the winning co-angler based on a 150 boat field. As the number of participants increases, so do the awards. At the maximum field size of 250 boats, the payout jumps to $105,000, including a Ranger Z518C with a 200 HP outboard, for the winning pro and $34,500, including a Ranger Z175 with a 90 HP outboard, for the winning co-angler. The depth of the payout also grows with participation from 40 places paid at 150 boats to 67 places paid at 250 boats.
“The Costa FLW Series is incredibly popular,” said Kathy Fennel, FLW President of Operations. “We introduced the sliding payout last year to ensure that anglers are rewarded proportionally when fishing events with more than 150 boats, and it was very well received. Now, the more boats that fish, the more you win, and we are proud of the fact that no other circuit offers higher rewards for a lower entry fee.”
The top pro and co-angler from the point standings in each division after three events (ties resolved by total weight) win the Strike King Angler of the Year and Co-angler of the Year titles, respectively. The top 10 pros and co-anglers from each division receive priority entry into the 2018 FLW Tour, the world’s top professional bass-fishing circuit.
Complete rules can be found online at FLWFishing.com.
Registration for the 2017 Costa FLW Series season is open for the top 40 pros and co-anglers from the 2016 FLW Series and the top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division of the 2016 Bass Fishing League (BFL). These anglers have until Nov. 28, 2016 to secure their priority entry. Ranger boat owners and sponsor entries may register beginning Nov. 29, 2016 followed by TBF members Nov. 30, 2016. All other entries will be accepted beginning Dec. 1, 2016. Qualified anglers can register by calling 270.252.1000 or online at FLWFishing.com.
2017 Costa FLW Series Payouts:
Qualifying Event Payout – 150 Boats:
Place Pro Ranger Cup Co-angler Ranger Cup
1 $40,000 Ranger Z518C Ranger Z175 $5,000
with 200 HP outboard with 90 HP outboard
2 15,500 5,000
3 12,000 4,000
4 10,000 3,500
5 9,000 3,000
6 8,000 2,500
7 7,000 2,000
8 6,000 1,750
9 5,000 1,500
10 4,000 1,250
11 3,750 1,000
12 3,500 1,000
13 3,000 1,000
14 3,000 1,000
15 3,000 1,000
16-20 3,000 800
21-25 2,750 700
26-30 2,500 600
31-40 2,000 500
Big Bass: Day 1 300 200
Big Bass: Day 2 300 200
Entry Fee $1,600 $550
Qualifying Event Payout – 250 Boats:
Place Pro Ranger Cup Co-angler Ranger Cup
1 $60,000 Ranger Z518C Ranger Z175 $5,000
with 200 HP outboard with 90 HP outboard + 2,500
2 25,500 7,500
3 17,000 6,000
4 15,000 4,500
5 14,000 4,000
6 10,500 3,500
7 9,000 3,000
8 8,000 2,250
9 7,000 1,700
10 5,000 1,450
11 4,700 1,100
12 4,000 1,100
13 3,500 1,100
14 3,500 1,100
15 3,500 1,100
16 3,500 900
17 3,500 900
18 3,500 900
19 3,500 900
20 3,500 900
21-25 2,850 800
26-30 2,600 700
31-40 2,200 600
41-43 2,180 590
44-45 2,160 580
46-48 2,140 570
49-51 2,120 560
52-53 2,120 550
54-56 2,080 540
57-59 2,080 530
60-61 2,040 520
62-64 2,020
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