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SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (May 19, 2008) – Boater Richard
Cobb of Richmond, Ky., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League®
Mountain Division tournament on Barren River Saturday with a
five-bass catch weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces. The victory earned
Cobb $3,607 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the
Wheeler Lake Regional Championship in Decatur, Ala., Oct. 9-11,
where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a
Chevy truck.
“I started out boat No. 111 out of 114,” said
Cobb, who posted his second top-10 finish of the year. “And I
was the slowest boat in the entire field. I have a 17-foot boat
with a 90-horse engine on it. The other three boats passed me
up, so I was the last boat.”
Cobb didn’t let that affect his game plan,
however. Cobb said he had found fish in a post-spawn pattern
during practice, and he repeated his practice routine. Cobb said
he used both a jig and a spinnerbait to fill his limit.
“I’m a younger guy, and I always looked up to the
guys that won the tournaments,” Cobb said. “It doesn’t feel like
it’s real. I didn’t think I was on anything worthwhile to even
consider winning.”
Rounding out the top five boaters are Pat
Eichmann of Nancy, Ky. (five bass, 15-10, $1,767); Scottie
McQueary of Russell Springs, Ky. (five bass, 15-10, $1,767);
Kyle Sears of London, Ky. (five bass, 15-08, $990); Rex Huff of
Corbin, Ky., (five bass, 15-05, $813) and Jeff Sandusky of Mount
Vernon, Ky. (five bass, 15-05, $813).
Brian Wade of Stanford, Ky., took home the Boater
Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $600 for a 5-pound,
10-ounce bass he caught on a creature bait.
Wesley Brooks of Bowling Green, Ky., earned
$2,000 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass
weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces that he caught fishing a buzzbait
over grass on the main lake.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Robert
Hood of Somerset, Ky. (four bass, 10-14, $1,000); Talmadge
Marcum of McKee, Ky. (five bass, 10-05, $666); Marty Mize of
Somerset, Ky. (five bass, 10-01, $467) and Noah Griffith of
Berea, Ky. (four bass, 9-08, $400).
Brooks earned $270 as the co-angler Big Bass
winner after catching a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass he caught on a
buzzbait.
Mountain Division anglers will visit Barren River
in Scottsville, Ky., Sept. 13-14 for a two-day Super Tournament,
the division’s fifth and final event.
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
Wheeler Lake 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 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 Forrest
Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is
the sport’s biggest championship.
Tournament anglers aren’t the only ones winning
big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing™,
FLW Outdoors® offers anyone the opportunity to enter
for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the
opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can
become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s
Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information
that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart
FLW Tour® stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s
Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and
increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will
be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner.
Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for
Player’s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart
gift card.
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.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder
of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization
in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more
than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through
230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish,
kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing
mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of
fantasy sports, $7.3 million.
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.
Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every
tournament.
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