THE MADNESS OF MARCH RETURNS TO VERSUS:
THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST GAMEFISH WILL BE REVEALED BY VIEWERS
IN SECOND INSTALLMENT OF BIG FISH MADNESS

Bracket-Style Tournament Now Available on VERSUSCountry.com with Winner Decided
On-Air March 27/28 and April 3/4 During Primetime on VERSUS Country
 
STAMFORD, Conn. (March 5, 2008) – VERSUS Country is once again on the quest to answer the most hotly debated question among sport fishermen since fish have been caught on rod and reel — pound-for-pound, what is the toughest gamefish?  Will last year’s winner, the Tarpon, retain its title or will this second installment of Big Fish Madness determine a new champion successor? 

The VERSUS Country panel of angling experts, including Tred Barta, Roland Martin, Bill Dance and Hank Parker, have narrowed the field by selecting the top 32 gamefish and seeded the fish in a bracket split into four regions.  This year though, the ultimate decision for the toughest game fish will be chosen by the viewers, not the experts.  Viewers can log on to VERSUSCountry.com to fill out a bracket with their selections up until March 21. Over the course of four nights, each gamefish in contention will be featured in some of the most spectacular fishing on television and Huntley Ritter, the host of The Huntley Way, will take viewers through each match-up, round-by-round until the field of 32 is down to just one champion. 

For viewers filling out a bracket at VERSUSCountry.com, points will be awarded for each correct selection and tallied after each round with correct choices receiving incrementally more points as the rounds advance. Throughout Big Fish Madness, viewers can go to the website to see how their brackets are faring against other viewers.   The viewer with the winning bracket will be announced on the last night of Big Fish Madness on April 4.  The entrant with the highest point total will win the grand prize – a 2008 Nitro Z-6 Boat with Optimax Motor and Trailer, courtesy of BassPro Shops and Tracker Marine and the first place winner will receive an all-expense-paid fishing trip with Tred Barta.  Other spectacular prizes for top point earners include: 42′ Panasonic plasma TV’s, iPods, Xbox 360 game consoles, a Bill Dance signature rod & reel package, among others.  

“After a very successful first installment of Big Fish Madness we decided to bring it back for a second year with an exciting twist—this year, the viewers are the experts as they’ll be deciding which fish is the toughest,” said Jeff Macaluso, Director of Field Sports & New Media Programming & Production for VERSUS.  “It’s a great way for our highly passionate anglers to engage interactively with the programming and to see how their opinions match-up against our expert’s for a chance to win great prizes.”  

BIG FISH MADNESS PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (subject to change): 
 
Thursday, March 27, 2008:  Round 1 – Field Goes from 32-16
 
7:00 p.m. ET                 The Huntley Way
7:30 p.m. ET                 Hunt for Big Fish
8:00 p.m. ET                 Sport Fishing Magazine
8:30 p.m. ET                 The Best and Worst of Tred Barta
 
Friday, March 28, 2008: Round 2 – Field goes from 16-8
 
7:00 p.m. ET                 One More Cast
7:30 p.m. ET                 LL Bean Guide to the Outdoors
8:00 p.m. ET                 Hunt for Big Fish
8:30 p.m. ET                 City Limits Fishing- ALL NEW EPISODE
9:00 p.m. ET                 The Best and Worst of Tred Barta
9:30 p.m. ET                 Dollar Wise Fly – ALL NEW EPISODE
10:00 p.m. ET               Saltwater Experience
10:30 p.m. ET               The Bass Pros
 
Thursday, April 3, 2008: Round 3 – Field goes from 8 to 4
 
7:00 p.m. ET                 Escape to the Wild
7:30 p.m. ET                 The Best and Worst of Tred Barta
8:00 p.m. ET                 Sport Fishing Magazine
8:30 p.m. ET                 Hunt for Big Fish
 
Friday April 4, 2008: Semi-Finals and Championship
 
7:00 p.m. ET                 One More Cast
7:30 p.m. ET                 The Bass Pros
8:00 p.m. ET                 Hunt for Big Fish
8:30p.m. ET                  City Limits Fishing- ALL NEW EPISODE
9:00 p.m. ET                 Best & Worst of Tred Barta
9:30 p.m. ET                 Dollar Wise Fly – ALL NEW EPISODE
10:00 p.m. ET               Saltwater Experience
10:30 p.m. ET               Sport Fishing Magazine
                                

VERSUS celebrates real competition in all its forms across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD).  Now in more than 74 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, Davis Cup Tennis, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing.  The network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12 and Mountain West. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events that audiences can’t find elsewhere.