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GRAND LAKE TO HOST WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE BUCKEYE DIVISION TOURNAMENT
The Buckeye Division of the $8 million Walmart Bass Fishing League® will visit Grand Lake in Saint Mary’s, Ohio, May 9 for the first of five regular-season events.

SAINT MARY’S, Ohio -(FishNLand.com) – The Buckeye Division of the $8 million Walmart Bass Fishing League® will visit Grand Lake in Saint Mary’s, Ohio, May 9 for the first of five regular-season events. 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.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held May 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 1951 Havemann Road in Celina, Ohio. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

Grand Lake St. Mary’s State Park – West Bank Ramp in Saint Mary’s will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6 a.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.

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®.

The next Buckeye Division tournament will be held on Indian Lake in Lake View, Ohio, June 20.

Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in the Buckeye Division will advance to the Kentucky/Barkley Lakes Regional Championship in Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 15-17 and will compete against anglers from the Arkie, Hoosier and Mississippi divisions for an All-American berth.

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.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament circuit.

Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.

About: FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.

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Homestate Angler Chris Payne Takes Opening Day Lead At Bassmaster Southern Open On Wheeler Lake
Payne established a sizable margin Thursday of more than 4 pounds over second-place competitor Jimmy Mason of Rogersville, Ala.

DECATUR, Ala. -(FishNLand.com)– Chris Payne of West Blocton, Ala., relied on several different baits to amass the biggest bag of the day of 18 pounds, 8 ounces at the Bassmaster Southern Open presented by Oakley on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake. Payne established a sizable margin Thursday of more than 4 pounds over second-place competitor Jimmy Mason of Rogersville, Ala.

Another Alabama angler, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Matt Herren, who has been hot of late scoring a second-place finish at the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Smith Mountain Lake last weekend, was third with 14 pounds, 0 ounces. Two non-Alabama anglers, Brandon Coulter of Knoxville, Tenn., and Brian Hatfield of Ashland, Ky., rounded out the top five. With many competitors able to catch limits it was Payne and Mason’s quality kicker fish that made the difference Thursday.

“I was throwing something different every time I turned around,” Payne said. “I’m going to try and do the same tomorrow, but there are so many boats watching me it’s hard to keep water too myself.”

Payne found all his fish on a flat and while he threw a variety of baits, he wasn’t willing to divulge what they were. Payne says he lost a few “good fish” but thinks he can overcome that if Friday’s conditions are similar.

Mason, of Rogersville, Ala., took an approach opposite of Payne by relying primarily on one bait, a shad-colored Booyah spinnerbait. Mason keyed in on the shad spawn and covered a lot of water to find his fish. Mason also caught a number smallmouth bass, which was different than most of the field.

“I was looking for places where I thought the shad would be spawning at, and I was right on a lot of them,” he said. “I’ll go out and do the same thing tomorrow, but if that falls off, I’ve got a few largemouth backup plans that should keep me up there.”

Mason thinks that weights in the three-day competition will drop as the tournament progresses with increased traffic expected on the water through the weekend. The impoundment is already fishing small with fish bunched up in a post-spawn pattern and more boats will have anglers jockeying for productive water.

“Even though I think weights will fall tomorrow, I’m aiming even higher so I don’t start to slack off,” he said.

Pro anglers are vying for $45,000 cash and points toward a berth in the 2010 Bassmaster Classic in Birmingham, Ala. February 19-21 on Lay Lake. Points standings can be found on Bassmaster.com.

In the co-angler division, Barry Pavia of Fruitland Park, Fla., landed 14 pounds, 2 ounces and holds the lead over Ed Paul of Alabaster, Ala., who had 11 pounds, 10 ounces. Clint Sterling of Winter Garden, Fla., was third with 11-2.

The winning co-angler will receive a Triton/Mercury package valued at $32,000. Nearly one month after BASS veteran Tommy Biffle’s nail-biter of a win at the Bassmaster Elite Series event on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake, BASS has returned to the popular fishery for the second Bassmaster Southern Open presented by Oakley.

Wheeler Lake, which is home to populations of both largemouth and smallies, has been the site of 11 BASS events, including the Bassmaster Elite Series’ Evan Williams Bourbon Dixie Duel in April, when Biffle of Wagoner, Okla., took home the trophy with a three-day total of 50 pounds, 13 ounces, in the weather-shortened event.

Fans are invited to the Open’s Thursday-Saturday takeoffs and weigh-ins at Ingalls Harbor, 701 Market Street NW, in Decatur. Anglers will launch their boats at 5:45 a.m. CT and the weigh-ins are scheduled to begin at 2:05 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public. The daily weigh-ins for the second stop of the Southern Open will be streamed live on Bassmaster.com, along with other unique content including photo galleries, live leaderboards and daily game stories.

The final stop in the three-tournament Southern Open division is the Oct. 22-24 event on Santee Cooper Reservoir out of Manning, S.C.

For more information, contact BASS Communications at (407) 566-2208 or visit Bassmaster.com. Visit ESPNMediaZone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news.

The Decatur Morgan County Convention and Visitors Bureau is the tournament host.

Official Sponsors of the 2009 Bassmaster Opens: Toyota Trucks, Berkley, BOOYAH Baits, Evan Williams Bourbon, Mercury, OPTIMA Batteries, Skeeter Boats, Yamaha Marine.

Supporting Sponsors of the 2009 Bassmaster Opens: Bass Pro Shops, Triton Boats.

About BASS

For more than 40 years, BASS has served as the authority on bass fishing. With its considerable multi-media platforms and expansive tournament trail, BASS is guided by its mission to serve all fishing fans. Through its industry-leading publications Bassmaster Magazine, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer and comprehensive Web properties in ESPN360.com, ESPN’s sports broadband network, Bassmaster.com, BASSInsider.com and ESPNOutdoors.com, the organization is committed to delivering content true to the lifestyle. Additionally, television programming on ESPN2 continues to provide relevant content – from tips and techniques to in-depth tournament coverage – to passionate audiences.

The organization oversees the prestigious Bassmaster tournament trail, which includes the Bassmaster Elite Series, Bassmaster Opens, Women’s Bassmaster Tour and the Bassmaster Classic, the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing. Through its grassroots network, the BASS Federation Nation, BASS sanctions more than 20,000 events annually.

BASS also offers an array of services to its more than 500,000 members while spearheading progressive, positive change on issues related to conservation and water access. The organization is headquartered in Celebration, Fla.

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LAKE RUSSELL TO HOST WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE SAVANNAH RIVER DIVISION TOURNAMENT

ELBERTON, Ga. -(FishNLand.com) – The Savannah River Division of the $8 million Walmart Bass Fishing League® will visit Lake Russell in Elberton, Ga., May 9 for the fourth of five regular-season events. 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.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held May 8 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 955 Elbert St. Extension in Elberton. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

Richard B. Russell State Park in Elberton will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6:15 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.

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®.

The final Savannah River Division tournament will be the two-day Super Tournament held on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Ga., Sept. 26-27.

Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in the Savannah River Division will advance to the Lake Norman Regional Championship in Lake Norman, N.C., Oct. 22-24 and will compete against anglers from the Mountain, South Carolina and Volunteer divisions for an All-American berth.

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.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament circuit.

Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.

About
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.

Filed under: Fishing Events, Fishing Tournament News by FishNLand No Comments »