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Wooten Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Event On Smith Mountain Lake

Moneta, Va. -(FishNLand.com)– Thomas Wooten of Huddleston, Va., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League® Shenandoah Division tournament on Smith Mountain Lake Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 14 ounces. The victory earned Wooten $4,009 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Potomac River Regional Championship in Marbury, Md., Oct. 8-10, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Wooten said he caught the majority of his bass fishing a trick worm on a shaky-head jig head on the lower lake.

Rounding out the top five boaters are James Henderson Jr. of Evington, Va. (five bass, 16-10, $2,005); Ryan Mace of Forest, Va. (five bass, 15-0, $1,336); Boogie Atkins of Greenville, Va. (five bass, 13-14, $935) and Jeff Camp of White Sulphur Springs, W.V. (five bass, 12-5, $802).

Atkins took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $550 for a 5-pound, 14-ounce bass he caught on a drop-shot rig.

David O’Flynn of Gainesville, Va., earned $2,005 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 10 pounds, 13 ounces.

O’Flynn said he caught the majority of his bass fishing docks 3 to 7 feet deep with a shaky-head rig.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Ed Robtison of Roanoke, Va. (five bass, 9-15, $1,002); Nathan Reeves of Lynchburg, Va. (four bass, 9-11, $668); Dennis Burdette of Lindside, W.V. (five bass, 9-8, $468) and Brad Campbell of Concord, Va. (five bass, 9-5, $401).

Kenny Wynn of Gladys, Va., earned $275 as the co-angler Big Bass winner with a 7-pound, 1-ounce bass he caught on a spinnerbait fishing upper lake docks.

The next Shenandoah Division event will be held on the James River in Richmond, Va., June 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.

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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Wheeler Lake To Host Walmart Bass Fishing League Bama Division Tournament
The Bama Division of the $8 million Walmart Bass Fishing League® will visit Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., May 16 for the fourth of five regular-season events.

Wheeler Lake

Decatur, Ala. -(FishNLand.com)- The Bama Division of the $8 million Walmart Bass Fishing League® will visit Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., May 16 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 15 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Walmart store located at 2800 Spring Ave. SW in Decatur. Entry fees are $200 for boaters and $100 for co-anglers.

Ingall’s Harbor in Decatur will host the takeoff and weigh-in at 6 a.m. and 3 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 regular-season Bama Division tournament, a two-day Super Tournament, will be held on Lake Guntersville in Scottsboro, Ala., Sept. 12-13.

Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in the Bama Division will advance to the Lake Seminole Regional Championship in Bainbridge, Ga., Oct. 22-24 and will compete against anglers from the Bulldog, Everglades and Dixie 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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Rose Leads $1.1 Million Walmart Open On Beaver Lake
Hawk leads field of Co-Anglers

Rogers, Ark. -(FishNLand.com)– Mark Rose of Marion, Ark., weighed in a five-bass limit that weighed 13 pounds even during the first day of competition at the Walmart FLW Tour’s Walmart Open presented by Kellogg’s on Beaver Lake and ended the day with a slim 8-ounce lead. The Walmart Open features anglers from all across the United States, Mexico, Canada and Japan.

“On Beaver Lake, it’s all about getting in a comfort zone and then being able to go fishing,” said Rose, who has won more than $778,000 in FLW Outdoors events. “That’s what happened to me today.

“I caught a little limit of spots and then went flipping and was fortunate to catch my big fish on a Strike King Rodent in a bush,” Rose added. “The fish got me hung up, but I was able to get it out.”

Rose said he caught one of his larger fish in water he called “very clear.” He added the water he fished Thursday had little to no color at all. According to reports from many anglers, Beaver Lake has returned to its traditional clear state after heavy rains for an extended period of time in the area. During the 2008 Walmart Open, Beaver Lake was uncharacteristically muddy, and most fisherman caught fish using power fishing techniques.

“I got a few key bites that really helped me, but you never really know with fish,” Rose said. “I’ve got an area that has some keepers, but as far as getting those kicker fish that you need to get you over the hump on Beaver Lake two days in a row … that’s really hard on Beaver Lake. I’ve kind of clued in to what’s going on. It’s just a matter of getting the right bites.”

Rose said his strategy won’t change for the second day of competition. He said he would like to repeat his Day 1 performance and perhaps even eclipse the 13-pound mark.

“I’m not going to do anything different,” Rose said. “I’ve got an area I started in today that nobody tried to come in on. Hopefully I’ll get there in the morning and try to catch a limit and go from there.”

Rounding out the top five places are Thanh Le of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. (five bass, 12-8); Rob Kilby of Hot Springs, Ark. (five bass, 12-3); Andy Morgan of Dayton, Tenn. (five bass, 12-1); and Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C. (five bass, 12-1).

Team Chevy pro Jay Yelas of Corvallis, Ore., earned the day’s $1,000 Folgers Big Bass award in the Pro Division thanks to a 4-pound, 13-ounce bass.

Overall there were 702 bass weighing 1,233 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 154 pros Thursday. The catch included 118 five-bass limits.

Pros are competing for a top award of $200,000 this week plus valuable points in the hope of qualifying for $2 million Forrest Wood Cup presented by BP and Castrol, which will be held July 30-Aug. 2 on the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pa., where they could win as much as $1 million – the sport’s biggest award.

Kevin Hawk of Ramona, Calif., leads the Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 10-0 followed by Brent Bridgeman of Elkmont, Ala., in second place with five bass weighing 9-14.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Dirk Davenport of Delaware, Ohio (five bass, 9-11); Ernest Cate of Springdale, Ark. (five bass, 9-8) and Alton Lackie of Germantown, Tenn. (five bass, 9-8).

Patrick Majors of Rogers earned the day’s $500 Folgers Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division thanks to a 3-pound, 3-ounce bass.

Overall there were 424 bass weighing 620 pounds, 9 ounces caught by 139 co-anglers Thursday. The catch included 37 five-bass limits.

Co-anglers are fishing for a top award of $40,000 this week.

Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. each day from Prairie Creek Marina located at 1 Prairie Creek Marina Drive in Rogers. Friday’s weigh-ins will also be held at Prairie Creek Marina beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins will be held at the John Q. Hammons Center located at 3303 Pinnacle Hills Pkwy. in Rogers beginning at 4 p.m.

In conjunction with the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, FLW Outdoors will host a free Family Fun Zone and outdoor show at the John Q. Hammons Center from noon to 4 p.m. each day. The Family Fun Zone offers fans a chance to meet their Fantasy Fishing team anglers face-to-face and review the latest products from Berkley, Lowrance, Ranger, Evinrude, Yamaha and other sponsors while children are treated to giveaways, fishing themed games and rides like the Ranger Boat simulator. Children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone on Sunday will receive a free rod and reel combo while supplies last. One lucky member of the audience will even win a new Ranger boat during the final 4 p.m. weigh-in Sunday, May 17. Admission is free, and you must be present to win.

In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field competes in the two-day opening round for one of 10 slots in Saturday’s competition based on their two-day accumulated weight. Weights are cleared for day three, and co-angler competition concludes following Saturday’s weigh-in. The top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from days three and four.

The total purse for the Walmart Open event at Beaver Lake is more than $1.1 million, including $11,000 through 50th place in the Pro Division.

Coverage of the Beaver Lake tournament, hosted by the Rogers Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Bentonville Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS, the network which brings anglers the best fishing programming on television featuring the most-trusted authorities on the water. The Emmy-nominated “FLW Outdoors,” will air June 14 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide, including internationally through agreements with WFN (World Fishing Network) and Matchroom Sport to such countries as Canada, Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoor-sports television show in the world.

The FLW Tour will award more than $8 million cash to the world’s top bass anglers in 2009. Regular season competition includes three qualifiers and three opens. Each event takes anglers a step closer to the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup presented by Castrol, which will be held July 30-Aug. 2 on the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pa. The prestigious championship and outdoor show hosted by Visit Pittsburgh will feature 77 pros, 77 co-anglers and bass fishing’s largest cash award – a potential $1 million first-place prize for the winning pro.

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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