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1st Place Boater
Robert Atchison
BENTON,
Ill. — Boater Robert Atchison of Sesser, Ill., earned $4,830
Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Illini
Division event on Rend Lake. The tournament was the first of five
regular-season Illini Division events and featured 144 boaters
vying for the win, which earned Atchison 200 points in the Boater
Division.
Atchison’s winning catch of four bass weighed 10 pounds, 11
ounces. Atchison also took home an additional $1,000 dollars for
being the highest placing Ranger Cup participant.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Brad Peters of Taylorville,
Ill. (four bass, 10 pounds, 10 ounces, $2,415); Jeff Henson of
Bloomington, Ill. (two bass, 7 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,609); John
Wright of Shelbyville, Ill. (three bass, 6 pounds, 9 ounces,
$1,127) and Bobby McMullin of Pevely, Mo., and Larry Sisk of
Evansville, Ind. tied for fifth (three bass, 6 pounds, 8 ounces,
$925).
Michael Frisch of Scheller, Ill., took Boater Division big-bass
award honors, earning $720 for a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass.
1st Place Co-Angler
Sam Hall
Sam
Hall of Collinsville, Ill., won the Co-angler Division to earn
$2,270, thanks to four bass weighing 9 pounds, 10 ounces that he
caught while fishing submerged bushes and backs of coves in 3 feet
of water with a jig and craw combination.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jeff Reiher of Oak
Forest, Ill. (two bass, 7 pounds, 1 ounce, $1,135); Jack Morse of
Decatur, Ill. (three bass, 6 pounds, 6 ounces, $757) Dan Kahrhoff
Jr. of Breese, Ill., (one bass, 5 pounds, 6 ounces, $530) and
Thomas Garbacz of Schaumburg, Ill. (one bass, 4 pounds, 15ounces,
$454).
Dan Kahrhoff Jr.of Breese, Ill., earned $330 as the co-angler
big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass.
The Illini Division’s next event will be held May 13 on
Shelbyville Lake near Finday, Ill., followed by an event on the
Ohio River near Golconda, Ill., June 10. The fourth event will be
held July 22 on Shelbyville Lake and the Illini Division will wrap
up its regular season Sept. 9-10 with a two-day Super Tournament
on the Ohio River near Golconda.
Following the regular season, the Illini Division boater with the
most points who advances farthest in the Wal-Mart BFL All-American
will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion.
The co-angler points champion who advances farthest will earn
$5,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion in the
Co-angler Division.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns
points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198
for third, and so on except for Super Tournaments, which award 300
points to the winner, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on.
The top 40 Illini Division boaters and co-anglers based on
year-end points standings will advance to the Fort Madison
Regional Championship near Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 5-7 where they
will compete against Great Lakes, Michigan and Ozark division
anglers for one of six slots in the 2007 All-American. With a
total purse of $1 million and a potential $140,000 cash prize
going to the winning boater and $70,000 going to the winning
co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and
lucrative events in bass fishing.
The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28
divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers
are randomly paired, with boaters supplying the boat and fishing
against other boaters and co-anglers fishing from the back deck
against other co-anglers. For more information or to enter a
tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse FLWOutdoors.com.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L.
Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League,
as well as the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren
Series, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’
Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye
League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series
and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined
purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected
companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart
signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is
the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information
on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
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