The Bismarck-Mandan area is gearing up to host the Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour Championship Sept. 24-27.

The FLW Walleye Tour is making its first stop on the Missouri River, which will bring more that 100 professional and amateur, or co-anglers, to the area from across the country.

Sonny Reynolds, FLW director of walleye operations, said the top 50 pro anglers and the top 50 co-anglers who qualified from the tour's four events this season will be in the hunt for some top prize money.

In addition, the top four pros and four co-anglers from the FLW 2008 walleye league also have qualified.

The winning pro will take home $150,000 and the top co-angler will net $20,000 in prize money.

The four qualifying events took place earlier this year in Clinton, Ohio, Lake Sharpe at Pierre, S.D., Cass Lake in Minnesota and Bays de Noc, Mich.

Reynolds said the FLW was in search of a location to hold its season championship and he had been in North Dakota in the past at other walleye tournaments.

The Bismarck-Mandan Convention and Visitors Bureau is hosting the event.

He said with the increase in the level of the Missouri River this season, it was a natural fit.

"We know it's a quality fishery number one," Reynolds said.

"Plus, we know the facilities are great."

The four-day tournament will launch each morning at the Graner Bottoms (Sugar Loaf) at 7:30 in the morning and weigh in at the Bismarck Civic Center starting at 4:30 each evening.

The format of the tournament for the first two days has the 54 pros paired up with the 54 co-anglers competing for 10 spots in the second round based on total weight.

On the third day, the top 10 pros and co-anglers start over with the top co-angler being crowned that day.

On the final day, the winning pro will will be determined by the total wight from days three and four.

Each boat can weigh in five fish with a 14-inch minimum and upgrading is not allowed.

Terry Harzinski, executive director of the CVB, said the FLW championship will be a week-long event that will bring invaluable exposure to the area.

Monday night (Sept. 22), Ressler Chevrolet in Mandan will host "Chevy Pro Night" from 6 to 8 p.m.

"This is a huge family event and is free," Harzinski said.

There will be a "family fun zone" open at the Civic Center leading up to each day's weigh-in, starting at 2 p.m. Thursday and noon on Friday and Saturday.

Harzinski said there will be a great deal of media attention surrounding the event including live Web casts and live on-line chats with pro anglers.

"That's a big part of why we're so excited that the FLW is coming to this area," he said.

Reynolds said the event will be aired in December on FUN North.

The top two pro anglers in the FLW Walleye Tour are a pair of Minnesota fishermen, Pete Harsh and Ted Takasaki, who are separated by six points in the season standings.

The professional division also includes two North Dakota anglers, Tom Backer of Fargo, who finished the season in 14th place, and Troy Morris of Bismarck, who finished 29th.

(Reach reporter Brian Gehring at 250-8254 or brian.gehring@;bismarcktribune.com.)