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ROGERS, Ark. - The $7.6 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour will stop in Rogers, Ark., April 5-8 for its fourth regular-season event, the $1.25 million Wal-Mart Open powered by Tyson on Beaver Lake. Hosted by the Rogers Convention and Visitors Bureau, the tournament features 400 anglers from 37 states, Japan, Canada and Australia, with 200 of the world's best bass pros fishing for a top award of $200,000 cash. Two hundred co-anglers will compete for a top award of $40,000 cash.

Beaver Lake, an annual stop on the FLW Tour for the Wal-Mart Open, may fish a little different this year as compared to past years. The lake is experiencing record-low water levels, and bass are concentrated on limited cover and structure.

"If conditions stay the same as they are right now - warmer than average - there could be a lot of sight fish caught," Snickers pro John Sappington said. "But if it cools off, fish will be staging outside pockets, and anglers will be throwing jigs, crankbaits and jerkbaits. But it will depend on the weather.

"I think weights are going to be better than we've ever seen on Beaver. With the low water, there just isn't as much cover and fish will be easier to catch."

Anglers will take off at 7 each morning from Prairie Creek Marina. Wednesday and Thursday's weigh-ins will also be held at Prairie Creek Marina beginning at 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday's weigh-ins will be held at the Wal-Mart store located at 4208 Pleasant Crossing Blvd in Rogers beginning at 4 p.m. Immediately following Friday's weigh-in, fans are invited to a free concert in the Wal-Mart parking lot. Details on the artist performing will be released soon.

The community is also invited to attend the free Family Fun Zone Friday and Saturday outside the weigh-in tent in the Wal-Mart parking lot. The Family Fun Zone, which opens at 2 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday, features interactive displays, product samples and games for the entire family to enjoy.

The full field competes in the two-day opening round for one of 10 slots in Friday's competition based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for day three, and co-angler competition concludes following Friday's weigh-in. The top 10 pros continue competition Saturday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

In FLW Tour 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 total purse for the Wal-Mart Open is $1.25 million, including $10,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division. In addition to this purse, Tyson will release three tagged "Power Bass" worth $4,000 each into Beaver Lake. Any pro or co-angler competing in the tournament is eligible to catch these "Power Bass" and claim the cash award.

As part of the tournament festivities, FLW Tour anglers will be greeting fans at five Northwest Arkansas Wal-Mart stores April 3 from 5 to 7 p.m. Wal-Mart pro George Cochran will be speaking at the store located at 2110 West Walnut St. in Rogers. Kellogg's angler Kim Bain will be speaking at the Wal-Mart located at 3919 North Mall Ave. in Fayetteville. Fishing fans visiting the Wal-Mart located at 2004 South Pleasant in Springdale will have the opportunity to meet Castrol pro Darrell Robertson. Kellogg's pro Sam Newby will be speaking at the Wal-Mart store located at 406 South Walton Blvd. in Bentonville. And the Wal-Mart store located at 4208 Pleasant Crossing Blvd. in Rogers will play host to Fujifilm pro Wesley Strader.

Kent Rylee Chevrolet, located at 2100 South 8th Street in Rogers, will host Chevy Pro Night featuring Larry Nixon, Dion Hibdon, Kim Stricker, David Fritts and Luke Clausen on April 5. The anglers will be signing autographs, posing for photos and answering questions from 6 to 8 p.m.

This is the most lucrative FLW Tour season to date with a $7.6 million purse, including four $900,000 events and two $1.25 million open events during the regular season. Each event leads up to the $1.5 million Wal-Mart FLW Tour Championship and Outdoor Show presented by Castrol, which will be held Aug. 2-5 on Logan Martin Lake in Birmingham, Ala. The prestigious championship hosted by Birmingham, Pell City and St. Clair County features 48 pros, 48 co-anglers and bass fishing's largest guaranteed cash award - a $500,000 first-place prize for the winning pro. Held in conjunction with the tournament is a world-class outdoor show featuring more than 140 exhibits.

Coverage of the Wal-Mart Open will be broadcast to 78 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on May 7 and May 14 as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program. "FLW Outdoors" airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast internationally to more than 350 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show 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.

Kentucky Lake in Benton, Ky., will host the fifth tour stop, presented by Pedigree, May 10-13 followed by a stop presented by Kellogg's on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., June 21-24.

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, Stratos Owners' Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006. FLW Outdoors also recently announced the addition of a striped bass circuit, which will debut in May.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

Wal-Mart and many of America's 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 world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.