Skeeter Boats Joins Forces with FLW Outdoors

MINNEAPOLIS (July 1, 2004) - FLW Outdoors announced today that Skeeter Boats will join the FLW Outdoors sponsorship lineup for the 2005 season, beginning in January. Skeeter will join an elite group of FLW Outdoors' boat sponsors - including Ranger, Champion and Stratos - on all six tournament trails: Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League and Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail.

Skeeter, founded in 1948 by Holmes Thurmond, is no stranger to the fishing industry or the unmistakable passion anglers hold for their sport. Skeeter Boats has the opportunity to market to the 52 million-plus Americans who fish each year through its sponsorship of FLW Outdoors' 175 bass and walleye tournaments.

"Skeeter's goal is to continue building brand recognition among anglers, and one of the best markets for that is tournament fishing," said Jeff Stone, general manager and senior vice president of Skeeter Boats. "We are proud to continue our support of competitive bass fishing and walleye fishing and are excited to work with FLW Outdoors in the years ahead."

Skeeter boat owners will gain numerous benefits through the company's sponsorship agreement with FLW Outdoors, including priority entry into all FLW Outdoors bass tournaments and the availability of a Skeeter service truck at many of the tournament takeoff locations. The Skeeter brand will also establish a presence in various FLW Outdoors marketing and promotional materials, through on-site signage at tournament locations, and at FLWOutdoors.com.

Skeeter-sponsored anglers have long been high-profile competitors on various FLW Outdoors tournament trails. In fact, Team Skeeter pro Dean Rojas of Grand Saline, Texas, has had two top-10 finishes on the 2004 FLW Tour. He finished seventh on Lake Okeechobee and sixth on Atchafalaya Basin. Skeeter pro Alton Jones of Waco, Texas, also had a top-10 finish on the tour this year when he placed ninth at Kentucky Lake.

"Skeeter Boats is set to help FLW Outdoors enhance competitive fishing and continue to grow the professional side of the sport," said Irwin Jacobs, chairman of FLW Outdoors. "FLW Outdoors looks forward to working with Skeeter to continue bringing our high-profile tournaments to the next level."

Located in Kilgore, Texas, Skeeter Boats is owned by Yamaha, which is headquartered in Kennesaw, Ga. Yamaha is also an outboard-motor co-sponsor of many other leading freshwater tournaments including the FLW Tour, the EverStart Series, the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, the Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye Tour and the Wal-Mart RCL Walleye League.

Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com's sponsor page.

For more information about Skeeter Boats, visit www.skeeterboats.com. For more information about Yamaha Outboards, visit www.yamaha-motor.com. For more information about FLW Outdoors tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

+For more infomation, clickwww.FLW Outdoors.com.

Posted by DODGE at July 1, 2004 01:12 PM in Tournament (FLW)