04-19-2007, 03:38 AM
[size 1]BRANSON WEST, MO - Boater Dennis Berhorst of Holts Summit, Mo., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Ozark Division tournament on Table Rock Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 23 pounds, 6 ounces. The victory earned Berhorst $4,177 plus a $737 Ranger bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Mississippi River Regional Championship in Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 4-6, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Mark Martin of Ozark, Mo., (five bass, 17-3, $2,458); Kenneth Garrison of Branson, Mo., (five bass, 17-2, $1,640); Andrew Renkoski of Purdy, Mo., (five bass, 16-15, $1,147) and Russ Franklin of Ash Grove, Mo., (five bass, 16-13, $942).
Berhorst took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $750 for a 7-pound, 4-ounce bass.
Dustin Back of Galena, Mo., earned $2,453 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces that he caught while fishing a green pumpkin finesse worm.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Robert Gideon of Preston, Mo., (five bass, 13-13, $1,226); Stewart Bigelow of Columbia, Mo., (five bass, 13-12, $816); John Buchanan of Jefferson City, Mo., (five bass, 13-9, $572) and Daniel Russell of Branson, Mo., (five bass, 13-3, $491).
James Kochanowski of Lansing, Kan., and James Leach of Independence, Mo., each earned $185 as the co-angler Big Bass winners after catching matching 6-pound, 5-ounce bass.
The Ozark Division's next event will be May 5 on Table Rock Lake in Branson West, Mo., followed by a tournament June 30 on Truman Lake in Clinton, Mo. The final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 15-16 on Lake of the Ozarks in Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Mo.
Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on year-end points standings in the division will advance to the no-entry-fee Mississippi River Regional Championship where they will compete against top qualifiers from three other BFL divisions. At the Regional Championship boaters will fish for a new Ranger boat and Chevy truck and co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger boat. The top six boaters and top six co-anglers at the Regional Championship will also advance to the 2008 All-American presented by Chevy. With a total purse of $1 million, a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and as much as $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing. The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American also advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the sport's biggest championship.
The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired. Boaters supply the boat and fish from the front deck against other boaters while co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits will offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Media Contact
Chad Gay, FLW Outdoors (270) 252-1626 cgay@flwoutdoors.com [/size]
[signature]
Rounding out the top five boaters are Mark Martin of Ozark, Mo., (five bass, 17-3, $2,458); Kenneth Garrison of Branson, Mo., (five bass, 17-2, $1,640); Andrew Renkoski of Purdy, Mo., (five bass, 16-15, $1,147) and Russ Franklin of Ash Grove, Mo., (five bass, 16-13, $942).
Berhorst took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $750 for a 7-pound, 4-ounce bass.
Dustin Back of Galena, Mo., earned $2,453 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces that he caught while fishing a green pumpkin finesse worm.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Robert Gideon of Preston, Mo., (five bass, 13-13, $1,226); Stewart Bigelow of Columbia, Mo., (five bass, 13-12, $816); John Buchanan of Jefferson City, Mo., (five bass, 13-9, $572) and Daniel Russell of Branson, Mo., (five bass, 13-3, $491).
James Kochanowski of Lansing, Kan., and James Leach of Independence, Mo., each earned $185 as the co-angler Big Bass winners after catching matching 6-pound, 5-ounce bass.
The Ozark Division's next event will be May 5 on Table Rock Lake in Branson West, Mo., followed by a tournament June 30 on Truman Lake in Clinton, Mo. The final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 15-16 on Lake of the Ozarks in Lake of the Ozarks State Park, Mo.
Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on year-end points standings in the division will advance to the no-entry-fee Mississippi River Regional Championship where they will compete against top qualifiers from three other BFL divisions. At the Regional Championship boaters will fish for a new Ranger boat and Chevy truck and co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger boat. The top six boaters and top six co-anglers at the Regional Championship will also advance to the 2008 All-American presented by Chevy. With a total purse of $1 million, a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and as much as $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing. The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American also advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the sport's biggest championship.
The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired. Boaters supply the boat and fish from the front deck against other boaters while co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits will offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Media Contact
Chad Gay, FLW Outdoors (270) 252-1626 cgay@flwoutdoors.com [/size]
[signature]