FLW ANNOUNCES RULES, ENTRY DATES FOR 2018 COSTA FLW SERIES MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 3, 2017) – FLW announced Tuesday the Costa FLW Series rules, entry fees and payouts for the 2018 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 Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama. The changes to the 2018 Costa FLW Series are highlighted by the addition of all-new Strike King Angler and Co-Angler of the Year payouts, with cash awards for the top five pros and co-anglers in each division. The Angler of the Year in each division now receives $5,000 with $4,000 going to second, $3,000 to third, $2,500 to fourth and $2,000 to fifth. The Co-angler of the Year now receives $2,000 with $1,500 going to second, $1,250 to third, $1,000 to fourth and $800 to fifth. Entry fees for the Costa FLW Series will slightly increase – $100 per event at $1,700 per tournament for pros and $25 per event at $575 per tournament for co-anglers. Costa FLW Series payouts will remain the same for 2018. 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. “A Costa FLW Series win is one of the most sought-after titles in bass fishing,” said FLW Series tournament director Ron Lappin. “No other circuit offers anglers from coast to coast better payouts for a lower entry fee. Add FLW’s extensive media coverage to the mix along with advancement to the FLW Tour, and it’s easy to see why the FLW Series continues to set participation records.”   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 2018 FLW Series Championship will qualify for the 2019 Forrest Wood Cup. Six FLW Series pros will advance to the 2019 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. The top 15 pros and co-anglers from each division receive priority entry into the 2019 FLW Tour, the world’s top professional bass-fishing circuit. Complete rules can be found online at FLWFishing.com. Registration for the 2018 Costa FLW Series season is open for the top 40 pros and co-anglers from each division of the 2017 FLW Series, the top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division of the 2017 Bass Fishing League (BFL), plus the winner of each 2017 BFL tournament.  These anglers have until Nov. 6, 2017, to secure their priority entry. Ranger boat owners and sponsor entries may register beginning Nov. 7, 2017. Anglers who fished a full division of the 2017 FLW Series or 2017 BFL can register Nov. 8, 2017, followed by TBF members Nov. 9, 2017. All other entries will be accepted beginning Nov. 10, 2017. Qualified anglers can register by calling 270.252.1000 or online at FLWFishing.com. 2018 Costa FLW Series Payouts: Qualifying Event Payout: 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                       $1,700                                                                                   $575 *Payback is based on the number of paid entries for each tournament.   Costa FLW Series Championship: Place                                   Pro                          Ranger Cup                                      Co-angler                   Ranger Cup 1                                   $50,000                      Ranger Z518C                                 Ranger Z175                               $5,000 with 200 HP outboard                           with 90 HP outboard 2                                     25,000                                    $5,000                                12,500 3                                     20,000                                      3,500                                10,000 4                                     15,000                                      2,000                                  7,500 5                                     10,000                                      1,000                                  5,000 6                                       8,000                                                                                 4,000 7                                       7,000                                                                                  3,500 8                                       6,000                                                                                 3,000 9                                       5,000                                                                                 2,500 10                                     4,500                                                                                  2,000 11-15                                4,000                                                                                  1,500 16-20                                3,500                                                                                 1,000 21-25                                3,000                                                                                    900 26-30                                2,500                                                                                    800 31-40                                2,000                                                                                    700 *Payback is based on the number of paid entries in qualifying tournaments.   Strike King Angler of the Year and Co-angler of the Year Place                                   Pro                                                                          Co-angler 1                                     $5,000                                                                               $2,000 2                                       4,000                                                                                 1,500 3                                       3,000                                                                                  1,250 4                                       2,500                                                                                 1,000 5                                       2,000                                                                                    800   For details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. 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