Thrift Grabs Lead at Professional Bass Fishing's Forrest Wood Cup Presented by Walmart

North Carolina Angler Takes 4-Ounce Lead In To Final Day SHREVEPORT, La., Aug. 17, 2013 - Chevy pro Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C., brought a five-bass limit to the scales weighing 9 pounds, 15 ounces to lead day three of the Forrest Wood Cup at the Red River presented by Walmart. Thrift, with a three-day total of 15 bass for 39-6, holds a 4-ounce lead over previous leader EverStart pro Randall Tharp of Port St. Joe, Fla., who weighed five bass weighing 9-7 for a three-day total of 15 bass for 39-2. The Forrest Wood Cup, professional bass fishing's world championship, features 46 of the best professional anglers from across the country casting for the top cash award of $500,000. "Well, I'd rather have the lead then be in second," said Thrift, who finished in third place at the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup. "It's still anybody's game, though. Somebody in sixth or seventh could go out tomorrow and try something off the wall and catch 18 pounds like Randall and I did on the first day and win this thing. The river is capable of producing those type of weights, so I really don't believe that anybody is out of this." Thrift said that despite taking the lead, he struggled for most of the day. He estimated that he only had eight or nine keeper bites throughout the day, and four were barely over the 12-inch mark. "I tried to find places in practice where I could get multiple bites, but they're slowly fading away," Thrift said. "The places where I was getting three or four bites each day are now only getting me one, sometimes none. Today I fished around 40 to 50 different places. I've been fishing woods, pads, rocks – anything that looks good. I'm just putting the trolling motor down and covering water." Despite running and gunning, Thrift said that all of his big fish have come from the same area. "I've caught my big fish each day off of this little point in a backwater area," said Thrift. "They all came on an Evercast Lures Shaky Head rigged with a 6½-inch Damiki Finesse Miki Worm. I've also been catching fish on an original Z-Man Chatterbait. "Tomorrow I'm going to do the same deal," Thrift went on to say. "If it's not working, I'll do something else. I'm not going to get stale in my approach and go down dying with one thing. If I'm not getting bit, I'll change it up and try to make them bite something else. I think I'm most likely going to have to run some new water tomorrow. I'm going to fish what I feel like is going to give me the best chance to catch a big one and win this tournament." The top 10 pros advancing to the final day of competition are: 1st: Chevy pro Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 39-6 2nd: EverStart pro Randall Tharp, Port St. Joe, Fla., 15 bass, 39-2 3rd: Chevy pro Larry Nixon, Bee Branch, Ark., 15 bass, 35-14 4th: Jacob Wheeler, Indianapolis, Ind., 15 bass, 34-15 5th: Walmart pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 15 bass, 34-6 6th: Robbie Dodson, Harrison, Ark., 15 bass, 33-5 7th: Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark., 15 bass, 32-13 8th: Troy Morrow, Eastanollee, Ga., 15 bass, 32-7 9th: Tom Monsoor, La Crosse, Wis., 10 bass, 32-4 10th: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 32-4 Finishing in 11th through 20th are: 11th: Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 15 bass, 32-3, $20,000 12th: 3M Scotch Tape & Peltor Brands pro Ray Scheide, Dover, Ark., 14 bass, 31-11, $20,000 13th: Straight Talk pro J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 15 bass, 30-11, $20,000 14th: Walmart pro Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 15 bass, 30-7, $20,000 15th: Justin Lucas, Guntersville, Ala., 15 bass, 30-6, $20,000 16th: John Cox, Debary, Fla., 15 bass, 29-10, $15,000 17th: Mark Daniels Jr., Fairfield, Calif., 14 bass, 29-10, $15,000 18th: Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 15 bass, 28-11, $15,000 19th: Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 27-15, $15,000 20th: Keystone Light pro Brent Ehrler, Redlands, Calif., 15 bass, 27-7, $15,000 Final results for the remaining field can be found on FLWOutdoors.com. Overall there were 98 bass weighing 179 pounds, 3 ounces caught by pros Saturday. The catch included 18 five-bass limits. Theo Corcoran of Kansas City, Mo., won the co-angler division and $50,000 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 10 ounces followed by Brock Mosley of Collinsville, Miss., in second place with 10 bass weighing 19-1 worth $10,000. The 2013 Forrest Wood Cup at the Red River presented by Walmart is being hosted by the Shreveport/Bossier City Sports Commission. Anglers will take off from Red River South Marina located at 250 Red River South Marina Road in Bossier City, La., at 7 a.m. Sunday. Weigh-in will be held at the CenturyLink Center located at 2000 CenturyLink Center Drive in Bossier City, La., beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday. Fans will be treated to the FLW Expo at the Shreveport Convention Center located at 400 Caddo St. in Shreveport, La., on Sunday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. prior to the weigh-ins. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public. Five-hundred free rods and reels will be given away each day to the first 500 children 14 years and under who are accompanied by an adult. The rod and reel giveaways are courtesy of 1130 AM The Tiger. Also on Sunday, one lucky fishing fan will win a Ranger Z520C with a Mercury outboard. The Ranger boat giveaway is courtesy of KSLA News 12 and is free to enter, but the winner must be present at the conclusion of Sunday's final weigh-in to win. Coverage of the Forrest Wood Cup will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC when "FLW" airs Sept. 29 from 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET. The Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show is hosted by Jason Harper and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW and the Capital City, Lake Murray Country Regional Tourism Board announced Friday that Columbia, S.C., would once again be hosting the Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing, Aug. 14-17, 2014, on the jewel of South Carolina, Lake Murray. The last time the Forrest Wood Cup, the sport's premier event, was held in Columbia was 2008. Rayovac pro Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla., was awarded the second annual Forrest L. Wood Sportsmanship and Community Leadership Award on Saturday, and a donation will be made to Christie's charity of choice. FLW recognized the angler that exemplified the ideals of sportsmanship and community service throughout the 2013 season. The Forrest L. Wood Sportsmanship and Community Leadership Award recognizes the individual who displayed overall commitment of sportsmanship and community leadership, on and off the water, by displaying ethical behavior, upholding integrity, class, selflessness, conservation efforts and kindness to others. For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com

'CBI finds violation of rules by Walmart in Indian deal'

Thiruvananthapuram, India - CBI has found violation of RBI and FEMA regulations by retail multinational Walmart in a business deal it struck with Bharti group before FDI in multi-brand retail was allowed in the country, CPI leader M P Achuthan said here today. The Rajya Sabha member, who took up the matter with the Prime Minister a year ago, said CBI had recently communicated to him that the business deal involved violation of regulations but expressed its inability to probe the matter further since FEMA violation does not come under its purview. The CBI, in its letter, said the matter was ÒanalysedÓ by the agency and it Òrevealed violations of RBI guidelines and FEMA regulationsÓ. The Economic Intelligence Wing of the agency, which looked into his complaint, said the matter was closed by it since RBI and FEMA regulations do not fall under its purview, Achuthan said in a statement. The CPI leader said he has also taken up the matter with the Enforcement Directorate and would decide on the future course of action after getting its response. According to Achuthan, Walmart invested USD 100 million in Cedar Support Service of Bharti group in 2010 and this investment was diverted to retail trade when FDI in retail was barred in this country. Achuthan, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in September 2012, wanted the matter to be investigated. Voicing concern over the delay in pursuing the matter, he wrote to the Prime Minister again last month and the matter was forwarded to CBI and the Central Vigilance Commission.

Dudley Wins Walmart FLW Tour Major on Beaver Lake

Michigan's Pipkens Wins Co-Angler Title, $25,000

ROGERS, Ark., April 30, 2012 - Coming in to this event Castrol pro David Dudley of Lynchburg, Va., had career winnings of $2.9 million dollars – the most of any professional angler on the FLW Tour. Dudley widened that gap today by winning the Walmart FLW Tour Major on Beaver Lake presented by Straight Talk. The $125,000 victory has pushed  him over the $3 million mark. Dudley weighed in a five-bass limit worth 16 pounds, 9 ounces to win the tournament, besting the best bass-fishing pros from all across the United States, Canada, Spain and Japan.

Dudley weighed in 20 bass totaling 54 pounds, 7 ounces during four days of competition fishing. He edged out a man who had previously won this event in 2007, Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn., who weighed in five bass today totaling 17 pounds, 8 ounces. Morgan's four-day total of 53-15 was good enough for second place – and a $35,000 check.

"Winning a tournament like this really drives me," said Dudley, who now has 32 top-10 finishes and six victories in FLW competition. "Me and Glenn (Browne) are good friends, but when he said on stage yesterday that there were only three anglers in contention to win and he didn't mention my name, well, it really fueled my fire. So thank you, Glenn Browne. What I did today was like hitting two grand slams in the last inning of a baseball game. I just kept plucking away at it. It's a passion for me.

"You really just have to go out there and catch as much as you can," Dudley continued. "You can't worry about what the other guy is doing. Fishing is so much of a mental game; you have to be mentally tough. It's not about the skill, it's about the decisions. It's not like I'm a better angler than anybody out there. It's the decisions that we make that separate us."

Dudley used his decision-making skills today to leap from fourth place after Saturday's weigh-in into the top spot. He caught most of his fish this week on an umbrella rig, but changed his strategy this afternoon after having a slow morning.

"I was catching them all week on the umbrella rig, but around 1 p.m. I realized that if I wanted to win I was going to need to switch it up," he said.  "I went to a steep bank that I had caught a couple off of this week using a wacky worm, and the wind was blowing pretty good against it. I made the decision to switch back to the wacky worm and I just worked my way down that bank. I caught four or five keepers and culled a couple of times, and it just seemed to turn on for me. Everywhere I stopped I caught a big one. I ended up only weighing in one on the umbrella rig today."

Despite the umbrella rig being a key part of Dudley's success throughout the week, he knows that it was not the only factor in his victory.

"That rig is something that we are all still learning about," said Dudley. "It's gotten a bad name because some people say that it mistreats the fish, but it doesn't do any of that. It's a lure that is going to catch some fish, but it does not dominate. Of my 20 bass that I weighed in, only 13 of them came on the umbrella rig. Seven of my fish came on different lures. The umbrella rig is a tool, not a cure-all tool. I believe the key decision to my tournament was not going after the spotted bass. I had a legit 10 to 12 schools located, and it was very tempting. I knew I couldn't rely on them, though, because they would not have had the weight that helped me get to this spot today."

Moments after his emotional victory, Dudley was already looking ahead to the next FLW Tour event on the Potomac River.
"I'm really looking forward to the Potomac, that's for sure. I really love tidal rivers and I love the current.

The Potomac is a very healthy fishery right now, so all of you Fantasy Fishing players out there better pick some good power fishermen."

The remaining top 10 pros finished the tournament in:

3rd:     Chevy pro Luke Clausen, Spokane, Wash., 20 bass, 53-9, $30,000

4th:     Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 20 bass, 52-13, $25,000

5rd:     Dr. Pepper TEN pro Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 20 bass, 51-14, $20,000

6th:     Chevy pro Jay Yelas, Corvallis, Ore., 20 bass, 50-5, $17,000

7th:     Charlie Evans, Gilbertsville, Ky., 20 bass, 46-10, $16,000

8th:     Snapple pro Jacob Powroznik, Prince George, Va., 20 bass, 45-14, $15,000

9th:     Kelley Jaye, Dadeville, Ala., 19 bass, 40-2, $14,000

10th:   Brad Rightnour, Mingoville, Pa., 17 bass, 38-12, $13,000

A complete list of results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 46 bass weighing 115 pounds even caught by pros Sunday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.

Chad Pipkens of Holt, Mich., won the co-angler division and $25,000 Saturday with a three-day total of nine bass weighing 22-15 followed by Todd Lee of Jasper, Ala., in second place with 10 bass weighing 18-14 worth $7,500.

In FLW Tour Major tournaments, pros and co-anglers are competing for valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top 35 pro and co-anglers in the point standings from the six FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify.
The Tour stop on Beaver Lake presented by Straight Talk was hosted by the Rogers Convention & Visitors Bureau, and was the fourth of 10 Walmart FLW Tour tournaments of the 2012 season.

The Walmart FLW Tour on the Potomac River presented by the National Guard will be the next tournament and will be held May 17-20 in National Harbor, Md. The event will be hosted by the National Harbor and boats will launch from the National Harbor Marina in National Harbor. For a complete schedule, visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Coverage of the Beaver Lake tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network when "FLW" airs June 3 from 1 - 2 p.m. ET. "FLW" is hosted by Jason Harper and is broadcast to more than 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

Ehrler Wins Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Hartwell Presented by Folgers

South Carolina's Gordon Wins Co-Angler Title, $25,250

GREENVILLE, S.C., March 12, 2012 - National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., left Lake Hartwell last year with a second-place finish, but was 10 pounds short of victory. On Sunday Ehrler sat one ounce out of the lead when he began chasing the victory that escaped him a year ago. And at the end of the day, Ehrler's five bass worth 20 pounds, 5 ounces gave him a total four-day weight of 74 pounds, 13 ounces – more than 3 pounds heavier than second place – as well as a championship trophy and $125,000 at the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Hartwell presented by Folgers.

Micah Frazier of Newnan, Ga., posted a total weight of 71 pounds, 11 ounces to claim second place. He set up a dramatic finish when he pulled out a monster bass that Ehrler estimated to be about 8 pounds. The standing-room-only crowd in the TD Center erupted and Ehrler's mind began to race.

"I thought he had 17 or 18 pounds and then he pulled out that big one and I thought, 'He's probably got close to 20,'" said Ehrler, who now has four FLW Tour victories. "And I was sitting there looking at the board, and I knew I had close to 20, and I was trying to do the math. And I started thinking, 'Maybe mine weigh 18.' So I started getting scared."

Ehrler said he fished three main techniques during the event but credited his location to the victory.
"I had one really good spot that I kept conserving," Ehrler said. "I didn't fish it that long each day. I'd pull up, catch a few and leave. I could tell there were a lot (of fish) on it. When I got there yesterday my co-angler caught all his weight there by 8:30, and he had 18 pounds."

Ehrler said he left the spot early Saturday to save it for the last day of competition. He returned Sunday and caught four of his fish he weighed in on that spot.

Ehrler said he targeted bass with his electronics the first day of competition and presented them with a drop-shot rig and a jig. Ehrler also fished a Senko around shallow docks on the first day. On Friday he caught fish on a jig, drop-shot rig and a Picasso School-E-Rig. Saturday the jig bite began to pick up, however, he caught his biggest bass of the day on the School-E-Rig. Ehrler said he relied solely on the jig to land his limit Sunday.

Ehrler's jig setup consisted of a Lucky Craft 7-foot heavy-action rod with 16-pound-test Sunline FC Sniper line on an Abu Garcia Revo MGX reel. His jigs were brown 3/4- and 5/8-ounce models tipped with green-pumpkin Yamamoto Twin Tail Grubs.

For the drop-shot rig, Ehrler used Owner 1/0 wide-gap hooks with a 6-inch Roboworm, 1/4-ounce Lunker City drop-shot weight, an 8-pound-test Sunline FC Sniper leader connected to 12-pound-test braided Sunline line on a 7-foot Lucky Craft shaky-head rod paired with an Abu Garcia Revo PRM40 reel.
For the School-E-Rig setup Ehrler used a stout 8-foot Lucky Craft rod and an inshore Abu Garcia Revo reel with 80-pound-test Sunline FX2 braided line. Ehrler used 1/4-ounce Picasso jig heads and 3 1/2-inch silver pearl Yamamoto swimbaits with the rig.

"It feels so good," Ehrler said of his fourth Tour win. "I can't tell you how awesome it feels to win this thing."
Tom Monsoor of LaCrosse, Wis., caught only one fish on the last day of competition at Lake Hartwell for the second year in a row and dropped his lead after three days to an eighth-place finish. Monsoor earned $35,000 for his efforts.

The remaining top 10 pros finished the tournament in:

			3rd:	Marty Stone, Fayetteville, N.C., 20 bass, 68-5, $30,000
			4th:	Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., 20 bass, 66-1, $25,000
			5th:	Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 20 bass, 61-1, $20,000
			6th:	Chevy pro Jay Yelas, Corvallis, Ore., 20 bass, 61-0, $17,000
			7th:	Kettle Brand Chips pro Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., 20 bass, 58-14, $16,000
			8th:	Tom Monsoor, LaCrosse, Wis., 16 bass, 56-6, $15,000
			9th:	Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 20 bass, 55-7, $14,000
			10th:	National Guard pro Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 18 bass, 54-9, $13,000

Overall there were 44 bass weighing 128 pounds, 4 ounces caught by pros Sunday. The catch included eight five-bass limits.
Kevin Gordon of Aiken, S.C., won the co-angler division and $25,250 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 43 pounds, 3 ounces followed by David Kuykendall of Fletcher, N.C., in second place with 15 bass weighing 35-12 worth $7,500.

In FLW Tour Major tournaments, pros and co-anglers are competing for valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top 35 pro and co-anglers in the point standings from the six FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify.
The Tour stop on Lake Hartwell presented by Folgers was hosted by the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Greenville Convention & Visitors Bureau, and was the second of 10 Walmart FLW Tour tournaments of the 2012 season. The Walmart FLW Tour on Table Rock Lake presented by Kellogg's will be the next tournament and will be held March 29-April 1 in Branson, Mo. The event will be hosted by the Branson/Lakes Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and boats will launch from Table Rock State Park Marina in Branson, Mo.

Coverage of the Lake Hartwell tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network when "FLW" airs April 15 from 1 - 2 p.m. ET. "FLW" is hosted by Jason Harper and is broadcast to more than 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

South Carolina's Gordon Wins Co-Angler Title, $25,250

GREENVILLE, S.C., March 11, 2012 - Tom Monsoor finished the 2011 season ranked sixth in the Kellogg's Angler of the Year standings in Walmart FLW Tour Major competition. He's starting 2012 right where he left off and is leading a full field of pros from all across the United States, Canada, Spain and Japan as they fish for a top cash award of up to $125,000 at the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Hartwell presented by Folgers.

The LaCrosse, Wis., angler advanced to the top 10 as the No. 1 seed with a five-bass limit Saturday of 21-10. With a three-day catch of 15 bass weighing 54-9, he now holds a miniscule 1-ounce lead in the tournament going into the final day of competition.

"I'm not real confident," said Monsoor, who has 32 career top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors competition. "Ehrler's really a good fisherman, and it looks like he's on some really good fish.
"I had a great day," Monsoor said. "I might not do that tomorrow."

Monsoor's technique for success is no surprise to those who have followed his career – he's throwing a swimming jig – and he said he will rely on the jig on the final day of competition.
"I'll have five poles all with my swimming jig on them," Monsoor said.

National Guard pro Brent Ehrler of Redlands, Calif., advanced to the final round of 10 pros in the No. 2 spot with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 54-8.

Rounding out the top 10 pros and advancing to the final day of competition are:
            3rd:      Marty Stone, Fayetteville, N.C., 15 bass, 50-13
            4th:      Kettle Brand Chips pro Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., 15 bass, 50-9
            5th:      Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., 15 bass, 50-9
            6th:      Micah Frazier, Newnan, Ga., 15 bass, 49-13
            7th:      Chevy pro Anthony Gagliardi, Prosperity, S.C., 15 bass, 48-10
            8th:      National Guard pro Brett Hite, Phoenix, Ariz., 15 bass, 48-0
            9th:      Chevy pro Jay Yelas, Corvallis, Ore., 15 bass, 46-14
            10th:     Andy Morgan, Dayton, Tenn., 15 bass, 45-10

Finishing in 11th through 20th are:
            11th:     Kellogg's Frosted Flakes pro Dave Lefebre, Erie, Pa., 15 bass, 45-8, $12,500
            12th:     EverStart pro Ron Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., 15 bass, 42-10, $12,500
            13th:     Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 15 bass, 42-9, $12,500
            14th:     Allen Boyd, Salem, Ind., 15 bass, 41-14, $12,500
            15th:     M&Ms pro Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., 15 bass, 40-2, $12,500
            16th:     Adrian Avena, Vineland, N.J., 15 bass, 37-9, $12,000
            17th:     Travis Fox, Rogers, Ark., 13 bass, 37-7, $12,000
            18th:     Lancen Halbert, Enoree, S.C., 13 bass, 36-13, $12,000
            19th:     Clifford Pirch, Payson, Ariz., 10 bass, 32-0, $12,000
            20th:     Pringles pro Vic Vatalaro, Kent, Ohio, 10 bass, 30-11, $12,000

Final results for the remaining field can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 86 bass weighing 238 pounds, 13 ounces caught by pros Saturday. The catch included 16 five-bass limits.

Pros are competing for a top award of up to $125,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top 35 anglers in the point standings from the six Walmart FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify.
Kevin Gordon of Aiken, S.C., won the co-angler division and $25,250 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 43 pounds, 3 ounces followed by David Kuykendall of Fletcher, N.C., in second place with 15 bass weighing 35-12 worth $7,500.

"I did pretty good today," Gordon said. "I'm super excited and got to fish with some great guys. This is a great organization and I really enjoyed my time here this week."
Gordon fished his final day of competition with Ehrler and said they spent the day fishing a variety of presentations and depths.
"(Ehrler) was on them strong," Gordon said. "Sitting in the back of the boat all I had to do was adapt to conditions whether it was deep or shallow. I fished with one of the best fishermen today you could ask for."

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers are:
            3rd:      Richard Peek, Centre, Ala., 14 bass, 34-3, $5,000
            4th:      David Lauer, Loxahatchee, Fla., 14 bass, 32-9, $4,000
            5th:      Rich Dalbey, Greenville, Texas, 12 bass, 30-6, $3,000
            6th:      Bryan Partak, Marseilles, Ill., 12 bass, 29-12, $2,500
            7th:      J.R. Wright, Truckee, Calif., 15 bass, 29-9, $2,000
            8th:      Brant Grimm, Kingsport, Tenn., 14 bass, 29-6, $1,800
            9th:      James Dixon, Southfield, Mich., 15 bass, 28-9, $1,700
            10th:     Philip Jarabeck, Lynchburg, Va., 15 bass, 27-14, $1,600

Final results for the remaining field can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 57 bass weighing 114 pounds, 1 ounce caught by co-anglers Saturday. The catch included six five-bass limits.

Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $25,000 this week plus valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart. The top 35 co-anglers in the point standings from the six Walmart FLW Tour Major tournaments will qualify.

The top 10 pros will take off at 7:30 a.m. Sunday morning from Portman Shoals Marina. Sunday's final weigh-in will be held at the TD Convention Center located at One Exposition Drive in Greenville beginning at 4 p.m.
 
Fans will be treated to the FLW Outdoors Expo at the TD Convention Center on Sunday from noon - 4 p.m. prior to the final weigh-in. The Expo includes Ranger boat simulators, the opportunity to interact with professional anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by sponsors, and fans can learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities. All activities are free and open to the public. On Sunday the first 300 children 14 and under who are accompanied by an adult will receive a free rod and reel combo courtesy of The Greenville News. Also on Sunday one lucky fishing fan will win a Can-Am ATV courtesy of WESC 92.5. The ATV giveaway is free to enter but the winner must be present at the conclusion of Sunday's final weigh-in to win.

Coverage of the Lake Hartwell tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network when "FLW" airs April 15 from 1 - 2 p.m. ET. "FLW" is hosted by Jason Harper and is broadcast to more than 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

White Castle Teams Up With Wal-Mart for a FREE Slider Giveaway

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 5, 2012,

WHAT: White Castle is teaming up with Wal-Mart to bring the Original White Castle Slider to Panama City Beach, Florida during Spring Break.  The Wal-Mart Supercenter in Panama City Beach will host the one day giveaway of 10,000 burgers.
 
WHO: White Castle is teaming up with Wal-Mart for this historic occasion.
 
WHEN: This first ever event is the kick-off of the Spring Break party.  The party starts Saturday, March 10 at 1:00 pm with 10,000 White Castle Original Sliders FREE to excited Spring Break Cravers and Panama City White Castle loyalists.
 
WHERE: This one day Slider giveaway will be held at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, 10270 Front Beach Road, Panama City Beach, Florida.

America's first fast-food hamburger chain is participating with Wal-Mart for a Slider Spring Break Party like no other.  Hungry Panama City Beach residents and Cravers from around the country are invited to the Wal-Mart Supercenter for a taste of the Original White Castle Slider hot off the grill.  White Castle team members from the Chicago area will be grilling 10,000 hamburgers and cheeseburgers starting at 1:00 pm, Saturday March 10.  The FREE Sliders will be handed out until they are gone.  There will be a limit per person so we can provide steamy hot Sliders to lots of cravers throughout the afternoon. 

Kicking off the Panama City Beach Spring Break event is the 10,000 Slider giveaways open to vacationers and local residents alike.  In addition to burgers hot off the grill; coupons will be distributed for savings on White Castle frozen burgers at the Panama City Beach Wal-Mart Supercenter. 

About White Castle
White Castle is a family-owned business based in Columbus, Ohio that owns and operates more than 400 White Castle restaurants in 11 states. The company was founded in Wichita, Kansas in 1921 and is America's first fast-food hamburger chain. All White Castle Sliders are made from 100-percent USDA approved beef or 100-percent white meat chicken.

For more information on White Castle, visit www.whitecastle.com.  White Castle Food Products, LLC distributes frozen Sliders through Grocery Stores, Convenience Stores, Food Service outlets and Vending Machines all across the country.  

Walmart to Generate Solar Energy

Walmart's solar power initiative will total more than 130 stores by the end of 2013; Adds hundreds of jobs through partnership with California-based SolarCity

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 23 - Walmart today announced its plan to install solar panels on up to 60 additional stores in California, expanding the company's solar portfolio to more than 75 percent of its stores in the state, making California the first state in the nation where Walmart has devoted this level of commitment to renewable energy.

"California presents a great opportunity for Walmart to make significant progress toward our sustainability goals by installing solar power on more than 130 store rooftops throughout the state," said Kim Saylors-Laster, Walmart vice president of energy.  "Walmart has reduced energy expenses by more than a million dollars through our solar program, allowing us to pass these savings on to our customers in the form of everyday low prices."

When complete, Walmart's total solar commitment in California is expected to:

• Generate up to 70 million kilowatt hours of clean, renewable energy per year, which is the equivalent of powering more than 5,400 homes*;
• Avoid producing more than 21,700 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, which is the equivalent of taking approximately 4,100 cars off the road*; and
• Provide 20 to 30 percent of each facility's total electric needs.

"Walmart's effort to expand and accelerate its solar power initiative program here in California demonstrates their commitment to sustainability. These kinds of projects create jobs, reduce costs for businesses by lowering power bills, and protect the environment," said Mary D. Nichols, Chair of the California Air Resources Board. "We appreciate Walmart's leadership and encourage other businesses to follow Walmart's lead."

"Walmart's commitment to renewable energy in California is commendable," said Gwen Ruta, vice president for corporate partnerships at Environmental Defense Fund.  "These projects are a win-win for the environment and our economy, and help move our country toward a cleaner energy future."

"Walmart has undertaken one of the most ambitious solar initiatives of any company in the U.S., and tripled the scale of its initial project with us," added Lyndon Rive, SolarCity's CEO.  "Walmart is setting an example that far more companies in the U.S. can follow; it is possible for many businesses to pay less for solar power than they currently pay for electricity."

Walmart's investment in solar power is anticipated to create hundreds of jobs in California through its partnership with SolarCity, which will own, install and maintain the new solar power systems. The San Mateo, Calif.-based company has added more than 500 new full-time jobs since it initiated its first Walmart solar project, and expects to hire hundreds more before the end of the year.

"Our solar efforts in California have proven to be a great way for Walmart to build our renewable energy program," said Mack Wyckoff, senior manager of renewable energy at Walmart.  "We are confident that we will continue to grow our solar energy program in the U.S. and around the world because of the initial success we have had in California."

Wolak Wins Walmart FLW Tour Open on Lake Champlain

Casey Martin wins co-angler title, $20,000

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y., Sept. 19, 2011 - David Wolak of Wake Forest, N.C., caught a five-bass limit weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces Sunday to win $125,000 at the Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Champlain presented by Snickers Peanut Butter Squared with a four-day catch of 20 bass weighing 81-0.

The catch gave him the win by a solid 6-pound, 4-ounce margin over pro Gary Yamamoto of Palestine, Texas, who caught a total of 20 bass weighing 74-12 and earned $31,329.

"The key for me this week was being able to make the proper adjustments," said Wolak who finally got redemption from a second place finish at Lake Champlain in 2007 and fifth in 2010 in FLW Series competition. "I fished in rain and cold and wind and was able to adapt correctly for every situation.

"On Thursday and Friday when we had the cold, wind and rain grass was gold," Wolak continued. "Yesterday and today I looked for clean hard bottom.  I covered a lot of water using my history and experience on this lake to make wise decisions. I was very fortunate and was able to capitalize on my past failures this week.

"Current played a huge role in my victory as well," Wolak went on to say. "The lake is still pretty high so I looked for areas that had moving water, especially when I was targeting smallmouth. One of the great things about this lake is that it replenishes itself; if you catch one fish in an area go back because the fish will go back.

"Lake Champlain is a pretty special place for me. There is no other fishery in the country where you can catch both large- and smallmouth that are the same size," continued Wolak. "You can fish north or south, anywhere you go you'll catch fish. I must have caught over 50 fish today. It was amazing. I will be back every year."

Known as the mixologist, Wolak's winning sack contained four large- and one smallmouth today. His primary bait was 1/2 ounce Fin-tech Title Shot Jig for the largemouth and 1/4 ounce Title Shot Jig for the smallmouth.

Wolak opened the tournament in second place Thursday with five bass weighing 22-8. On Friday he added another five bass weighing 19-4 to maintain second place. He then caught five bass weighing 19-13 on Saturday to make the crucial top-10 cut in first place. On Sunday he sealed his victory with a 19-7 stringer that included one kicker largemouth that weighed over 5-pounds.

The remaining top 10 pros finished the tournament in:

	3rd:	Daryl Biron, South Windsor, Conn., 20 bass, 72-15, $26,829
	4th:	Band Aid/Neosporin pro Glenn Browne, Ocala, Fla., 20 bass, 72-6, $22,329
	5th:	Walmart pro Wesley Strader, Spring City, Tenn., 20 bass, 70-3, $17,829
	6th:	Straight Talk pro Scott Canterbury, Springville, Ala., 20 bass, 70-2, $15,129
	7th:	Brian Bylotas, Olyphant, Pa., 20 bass, 69-8, $14,229
	8th:	Bryan Schmitt, Deale, Md., 20 bass, 68-15, $13,329
	9th:	Kyle Mabrey, McCalla, Ala., 20 bass, 64-9, $12,429
	10th:	J Todd Tucker, Moultrie, Ga., 20 bass, 62-11, $11,529

Second place Yamamoto said that he fished docks with Senkos all week long. The key to his success was that he was hooking the Senkos backwards with #6 ¾ to 1 inch screw. This allowed the bait to go back toward the dock and according to Yamamoto, they didn't know what hit them. Overall there were 50 bass weighing 153 pounds, 7 ounces caught by 10 pros Sunday. The catch included five, five-bass limits.

Casey Martin of Huntsville, Ala., won the Co-angler Division and $20,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 49 pounds, 9 ounces followed by Christopher Hall of Clarks Summit, Pa., in second place with 15 bass weighing 45-11 worth $6,715.

In FLW Tour Open tournaments, pros and co-anglers are competing for valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top five pro and co-anglers in the point standings from the four FLW Tour Open tournaments will qualify.
The Walmart FLW Tour stop on Lake Champlain presented by Snickers Peanut Butter Squared was hosted by the City of Plattsburgh – New York and the Adirondack Coast Visitors & Convention Bureau, and was the ninth of 10 Walmart FLW Tour tournaments of the 2011 season.

The Walmart FLW Tour on Lake Guntersville presented by Mercury will be the next tournament and will be held Oct. 20-23 in Guntersville, Ala. The event will be hosted by the Marshall County Convention & Visitors Bureau and boats will launch from Lake Guntersville State Park in Guntersville, Ala. For a complete schedule, visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Why Walmart so much Interested in Secretary Hilary Clinton's Statement

 
How big business houses use politicians to gain for their business, this is latest example from Wal Mart. Without commenting so much on this issue,please go through this news item, you will learn whole story.... 

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 16, 2011- "There is perhaps no single issue more essential to the progress of our world than the progress of women. Secretary Clinton has been a leader in creating that progress, so we appreciate the Secretary's support of our efforts to open market access for women-owned businesses. Our plan to spend $20 billion with these businesses, as well as the work we'll do in factories and on farms to empower women, will help bring about a global marketplace where women's contributions are truly valued.

"The challenge of empowering women is a complex one, and we want to thank Secretary Clinton and Ambassador Verveer for their leadership on this issue. No one can solve this issue alone, but with the continued leadership of the Secretary and others, we will continue to make progress on the critical issue of providing women and girls the tools they need to succeed in life, at home and at work."

--- Leslie Dach, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Walmart
 
(Secretary Clinton made her remarks during a keynote address at the APEC Women and the Economy Summit this morning in San Francisco.)

Background:
 
Walmart's Global Women's Economic Empowerment Initiative:

On Sept. 14, 2011, Walmart announced a major global initiative to help empower women economically across its supply chain. Over the next five years, Walmart will lead an effort with specific goals to open markets for women-owned businesses and increase training and career opportunities for women on farms and in factories.  The goals were developed with NGOs and other partners and are designed to leverage the company's size and scale to help women and their families live better. Like its work on sustainability, hunger and healthier foods, this initiative is another step forward in the company's commitment to leading on social issues.

APEC:
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation's (APEC) Women and the Economy Summit (WES) is being held this week in San Francisco. The United States is one of 21 member economies of APEC, whose primary goal is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.

About Walmart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (NYSE: WMT) serves customers and members more than 200 million times per week at over 9,600 retail units under 69 different banners in 28 countries. With fiscal year 2011 sales of $419 billion, Walmart employs 2.1 million associates worldwide.

....Wal Mart entered in Indian Market and this move is to win over Indian Woman.
 

Settlement of a Suit against Wal-Mart in California

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 10, 2010 - The United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Judge Saundra B. Armstrong, has granted final approval to the settlement of a wage and hour class action suit against Wal-Mart in California, In re Wal-Mart Stores Wage and Hour Litigation, Case No. 02069SBA (Smith Case No. C-06-02069SBA and Ballard Case No. C-06-05411SBA). The settlement, which provides for a payment of between $43 million and $86 million (including claims, costs, and attorneys' fees), concludes more than four years of litigation concerning the payment of wages to California associates. In addition, as part of the settlement, Wal-Mart has agreed to continue to maintain electronic systems that will protect the rights of workers.

"This settlement represents an extraordinary result for the members of this class, with up to $86 million being paid by Wal-Mart to resolve the claim that class members were underpaid approximately $12 million in vacation and other wages when their employment with Wal-Mart ended. The potential additional $74 million payment represents interest and statutorily imposed expenses that Wal-Mart may have faced had the matter proceeded to trial," said Louis Marlin of Marlin & Saltzman, one of the counsel for the class. "The case has been hard fought since it was filed four years ago, with Wal-Mart's lawyers presenting a vigorous defense. Marlin & Saltzman, along with our co-counsel, including Peter Hart, have fought hard for the class members."

"Our policy is to pay our associates in an accurate and timely manner. Our communications, processes and systems will help ensure that's the case," said Greg Rossiter, Wal-Mart spokesperson.

Post-budget, Bharti Wal-Mart hopeful of FDI in retail

New Delhi (India), Feb 28 - Bharti Wal-mart, an Indian joint venture of the world's largest retailer Wal-Mart, has said it is optimistic of India allowing Foreign Direct Investment in the retail sector, given the progressive nature of the current government.

We are optimistic that India's progressive government will move ahead with its policies of economic and social reforms, including allowing FDI investment in front-end retail, Bharti Wal-mart MD and CEO Raj Jain said.

The US retail giant Wal-Mart, which has been waiting for a long period for change in regulatory framework to enter India's front-end retail market, currently has a B2B (business-to-business) joint venture with Sunil Mittal-led Bharti group for wholesale cash-and-carry and back-end supply chain management operations.
India currently allows 51 per cent FDI in single-brand retail, but none in multi-brand.

In a statement, Jain attributed his optimism to Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's budget speech, saying it Òunderscores the need to reduce the significant wastages in storage and well as in the operations of the existing food supply chains in the country.

This would greatly contribute to Indias growth story by creating employment, strengthening supply chain efficiencies, enhancing earnings of farmers and helping families to save money so they can live better, Jain noted.


While reiterating Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent remarks on the need for taking a firm view for opening up of the retail sector, Mukherjee had said that the difference between wholesale and retail prices need to be reduced.

As the Prime Minister has said recently - We need greater competition and therefore need to take a firm view on opening up of the retail trade. It will help in bringing down the considerable difference between the farm gate prices, wholesale prices and retail prices, Mukherjee said.

Last week, the government's pre-budget statement on the country's financial health, the Economic Survey also showed that the retail prices were rising at about ten times faster than the wholesale prices.

The survey noted the rate of price rise in wholesale market at 1.6 per cent for the current fiscal 2009-10 as measured by wholesale price index (WPI), against the consumer price index (CPI) inflation of 11.4 per cent.

The CPI-based inflation has been higher than that based on WPI for four consecutive years now with the gap widening every passing year. In 2004-05, the CPI inflation was, in fact, lower than the WPI one and the two were equal in 2005-06, the Survey said.

On other hand, the industry has been arguing that greater competition triggered by opening up of the sector would help in bridging the gap between consumer and wholesale prices.

We were expecting FDI rules to be relaxed in retail business. It would have benefited retailers as well as the ultimate consumers, Vishal Retail Chief Managing Director Ram Chandra Agarwal said.