by Robin Thweatt

(Jul. 28, 2009 – Jasper, IN)…

Ron Allen of Huntingburg, Ind., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division tournament on Lake Patoka Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces. The victory earned Allen $3,205 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Kentucky Lake Regional Championship in Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 15-17, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

“I felt it would take at least 20 pounds to win this tournament from what I had seen guys catching earlier in the week,” said Allen. “We got hit by a bad storm heading in to the weigh-in. You couldn’t even see the end of the boat because of the rain.”

Allen had caught 15 pounds of his limit by 7:30 a.m., finishing out his winning weight by 1:30 p.m., before the storm rolled in. He had been fishing mid-lake with a Texas rigged 10-inch worm with a 1/2-ounce sinker on a 15-pound Sea Guard fluorocarbon line.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Tom Forrester of Bloomington, Ind. (five bass, 17-9, $1,603); Mark Dove of North Vernon, Ind. (five bass, 15-8, $1,068); Frank McClain of Scottsburg, Ind. (four bass, 14-10, $748) and Travis Edgar of North Webster, Ind. (four bass, 14-8, $641).

Ron Allen also took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $385 for a 6-pound, 5-ounce bass he caught.

Michael Leistner of Camby, Ind., earned $1,603 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to four bass weighing 11 pounds, 4 ounces that he caught on a Zoom Super Hog with 1/2-ounce sinker.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Eric Herbert of Madison, Ind. (three bass, 8-4, $801); Richard Kirkland of Indianapolis, Ind. (three bass, 7-15, $533); Erich Hartman of Lebanon, Ind. (three bass, 6-10, $374); and Larry Kitchel of Monticello, Ind. (two bass, 6-2, $321).

Kevin Keltner of Pekin, Ind., earned $192 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass.

The next Hoosier Division event, a two-day Super Tournament, will be held on the Ohio River in Tell City, Ind., Sept. 19-20.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition.

The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee $2.5 million Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Walmart FLW Tour.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers. Read more… »

Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Tournaments Season Openers Slated for April 18th.

by Robin Thweatt

(Apr. 09, 2009 – Benton, KY)… The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League will visit on April 18th for the third of five regular-season events listed below. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $45,000 in cash, including a top award of $6,000 in the Boater Division.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he or she will receive a $2,000 bonus from Ranger Boats. If the winner is not a Ranger Cup participant, Ranger will award $1,000 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant. That’s a potential top award of $8,000 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner’s boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude E-TEC or Direct Injection outboard.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $3,000 cash.

Big Bass awards of up to $1,000 and $500, respectively, will also be awarded in the Boater and Co-angler Divisions.

1. The Savannah River Division will visit Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C. Clemson Marina in Seneca will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6:45 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at the FLWOutdoors website or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held April 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 1636 Sandifer Blvd. in Seneca, S.C. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

2. The Ozark Division will visit Table Rock Lake in Branson, Mo. Kimberling Inn Resort in Kimberling City, Mo., will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at the FLWOutdoors website or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held April 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 18401 State Highway 13 in Branson. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

3. The Music City Division will visit Center Hill Lake in Sparta, Tenn. Ragland Bottoms Recreation Area in Sparta will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6 a.m. and 3 p.m., respectively.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at the FLWOutdoors website or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held April 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 515 W. Broad St. in Smithville, Tenn. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition.

The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee $2.5 million Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Walmart FLW Tour.

A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on the Kissimmee River in Lake Wales, Fla., Sept. 19-20.

Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in the Everglades Division will advance to the Lake Seminole Regional Championship in Bainbridge, Ga., Oct. 22-24 and will compete against anglers from the Bulldog, Bama and Dixie divisions for an All-American berth. Read more… »