Major League Fishing: 'Crushing' Performance in Episode Four

From Major League Fishing

TULSA, Okla. - A "performance for the ages" is what viewers of the Major League Fishing Challenge Cup fourth episode will see this week on Outdoor Channel.

That's the assessment of Major League Fishing Commissioner Don Rucks, a former general manager of B.A.S.S., who has seen a lot of fishing during the past four decades. Rucks was describing the dominating performance of one angler during Sudden Death Day 1 of the competition at the Challenge Cup, the league's inaugural event. The fourth episode follows the action on the fourth day of the event.

"I just can't recall seeing anything like what this Major League Fishing angler does," Rucks said. "I'm still having a hard time believing it."

The first three Elimination Days of competition - featured in episodes 1-3 - involved eight anglers fishing each day. The four anglers with the highest total weight of fish caught from each day advanced to the semifinal Sudden Death round. The Sudden Death round, however, features a twist.

"The bottom line is that we have a format change in the second (Sudden Death) round. We throw the anglers a curve ball and insert a qualifying cutline of 40 pounds. The first two anglers to reach 40 pounds advance to the finals. Everybody else goes home," Rucks said.

"It would be an understatement to say that one angler puts on a dominating show. It is a performance for the ages. That performance, combined with a really interesting race for the second qualifying slot, makes for some good entertainment."

Elimination round qualifiers Brent Ehrler, Michael Iaconelli, Gary Klein, Jeff Kriet, Jason Quinn and Kevin VanDam compete on this first day of the Sudden Death Round.

For extended coverage the Major League Fishing Challenge Cup, viewers have the option to watch Internet-based pay-per-view shows. The online broadcasts, called ADVANCE CAST, are only offered on Major League Fishing's web site. All seven pay-per-view webisodes are currently available for purchase. Each webisode represents one day of competition. The seventh ADVANCE CAST webisode is a wrap-up show, featuring in-depth, on-the-water segments with the winners from each round and the Challenge Cup champion. The ADVANCE CAST total-event BassPass, a package of all seven webisodes, cost $17.94, with individual episodes available for $2.99 each. (The seven-event BassPass package features a "free" week.)

---

Each ADVANCE CAST shows many attractions, including:

• Commentary from anglers during competition about how they searched for, found and caught fish
• Anglers' reactions to their own failures and successes, and reactions to other competitors
• More than twice the coverage than what is televised on Outdoor Channel

The Challenge Cup, held November 6-11, 2011, on Lake Amistad, included 24 of the world's best-known competitors and utilized an innovative angler-created format. The anglers were not allowed to practice before the event, could not compete with pre-determined GPS waypoints, and were limited to fishing on designated sections of the lake that were disclosed to them less than 12 hours before their competition rounds began. Each day's action served as an Elimination round.

The anglers' boats were equipped with real-time leader boards. Boat judges accompanied all anglers who administered penalties and scored every legal fish as soon as they were caught. After the weight of each catch was recorded, bass were released back into the lake.

The Challenge Cup included six consecutive days of competition. The Elimination rounds took place during the first three days, with eight anglers competing each day. The top four anglers from each day advanced to the Sudden Death round, which was comprised of the 12 advancing anglers. During Sudden Death, six anglers competed on the first day, the remaining six the next day. Two anglers advanced each competitive day of Sudden Death, setting up a Championship Final featuring the top four anglers.

About Major League Fishing

Major League Fishing is a partnership of 24 of the world's most talented, influential professional bass anglers and Outdoor Channel. For more information about the new game, with new rules and no limits, visit: www.majorleaguefishing.com.

About Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc.

Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: OUTD) owns and operates Outdoor Channel, America's Leader In Outdoor TV, and Winnercomm Inc., an Emmy Award winning production and interactive company. Outdoor Channel offers programming that captures the excitement of hunting, fishing, shooting, off-road motorsports, adventure and the Western lifestyle and can be viewed on multiple platforms including high definition, video-on-demand, as well as on a dynamic broadband website. Winnercomm Inc. is one of America's leading and highest quality producers of live sporting events and sports series for cable and broadcast television. Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc. also owns and operates the SkyCam and CableCam aerial camera systems which provide dramatic overhead camera angles for major sports events, including college and NFL football. For more information, please visit www.outdoorchannel.com.