For additional information, please contact:
Dave Washburn, Communications Director, (270) 252-1607
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WILSON WINS WAL-MART BASS FISHING LEAGUE MICHIGAN DIVISION TOURNAMENT
WOODHAVEN, Mich. (Aug. 26, 2002) – Jim Wilson of Amherstburg, Ontario,
topped 103 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on the
Detroit River with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch
earned him $3,148 and 200 points in the Boater Division.
Wilson caught his limit using a green pumpkin tube. The catch topped
second-place boater Brian Rand of Mattawan, Mich., by 1 pound, 10
ounces. Rand finished the one-day tournament with a five-bass catch
weighing 19 pounds, 15 ounces worth $1,574. Rand also earned boater big
bass honors and $515 with a 5-pound, 2-ounce bass.
Cecil Cole of Durand, Mich. (five bass, 19 pounds, 9 ounces, $944);
Clark Wolfe of Grove City, Ohio (five bass, 19 pounds, 8 ounces, $756);
and Dick Shaffer of Celina, Ohio, (five bass, 19 pounds, $693) rounded
out the top five boaters. Cole also received a $500 bonus from Ranger
Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive
program.
Rick Reedy of Barrington, Ill., claimed first place and $1,503 in the
96-competitor Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 14
ounces. He surpassed second-place co-angler Jay Yoder of Grabill, Ind.,
by 2 pounds, 1 ounce thanks to a green pumpkin spider grub. Yoder
finished with a five-bass catch weighing 17 pounds, 13 ounces worth
$751.
Kurt Preibisch of Saint Clair Shores, Mich. (five bass, 17 pounds, 5
ounces, $451); Douglas Lepper of Union City, Mich. (five bass, 16
pounds, 9 ounces, $361); and Barry Baldwin of Dayton, Ohio, (five bass,
16 pounds, 6 ounces, $331) rounded out the top five co-anglers.
Preibisch also earned big bass honors and $240 in his division with a
4-pound, 9-ounce bass that he caught casting a white spinner bait to
rocks.
The Wal-Mart BFL will visit the Detroit River Sept. 14-15 for the
Michigan Division’s final regular-season event, a two-day Super
Tournament. The boater with the most points after the Super Tournament
will be declared the Yamaha “Be the Best” Points Leader and awarded
$1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season
will receive $500.
The top 30 Michigan Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to
regional competition presented by Yamaha Oct. 15-19 on Kentucky Lake
near Gilbertsville, Ky., where they will go up against top competitors
from the Great Lakes, Hoosier and Illini divisions for a shot at
qualifying for the Wal-Mart BFL All-American – one of the most lucrative
postseason tournaments in competitive angling.
2002 BFL awards could reach $7 million based on full fields.
Sponsors of the 2002 Wal-Mart BFL are Wal-Mart, ALPO Pet Foods, BC
Powder, BFGoodrich Tires, Castrol, Chevy Trucks, Conseco, Energizer,
EverStart Batteries, Evinrude, Faded Glory, Frito-Lay, FujiFilm, Garmin,
Kellogg’s, Land O’Lakes, Minn Kota, Newell Rubbermaid, Pepsi, Poulan,
Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers, Stanley Works, Stren, U.S. Bank, Weed
Eater and Yamaha Outboards.