 |
See Zeiner's new online
catalog. New items are being added regularly. |
Click here for Zeiners new secure online catalog
Winters wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League
Tournament on Grand Lake
Grove, Okla., (June 18, 2001) - Steve Winters of Derby,
Kan., outpaced 77
competitors Saturday with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces
to win
$3,194 and 200 points on the boater side of the Wal-Mart Bass
Fishing League
(BFL) Plains Division tournament on Grand Lake.
Winters edged out Jeff Tipton of Afton, Okla., by 1 pound,
15 ounces in the
one-day event that set out from Red 11 Port. Tipton finished
with a
five-bass catch weighing 12 pounds, 13 ounces to win $1,597.
Richard Campbell of Platte City, Mo., took third place and
collected $798
with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 9 ounces. Larry Seger of Reeds
Spring,
Mo., placed fourth and earned $692 with five bass weighing 12
pounds, 8
ounces, while Terry Thomas of Nixa, Mo., placed fifth and earned
$639 with
four bass weighing 12 pounds, 3 ounces.
Campbell won the boater Big Bass Award and collected $385
with a 5-pound,
5-ounce bass.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,479 went to Roger
Smith of
Eugene, Mo., who topped 67 competitors with five bass weighing
10 pounds, 15
ounces. Second place in the division and $739 went to James Marion
of Tulsa,
Okla., with four bass weighing 10 pounds, 12 ounces, while Troy
Dillon of
Manhattan took third place and $370 with five bass weighing 10
pounds, 6
ounces.
Marion won the co-angler Big Bass Award of $167 with a 5-pound,
1-ounce
bass.
Overall, 308 bass were caught during the tournament, including
27 five-bass
limits.
The Wal-Mart BFL will visit Lake Truman Sept. 8-9 for a two-day
Super
Tournament that will determine the Divisional Points Champion
who will be
awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the
conclusion of
the season ending tournament will receive $500.
The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Plains Division
will advance
to regional competition Oct. 16-20 on the Ohio River near Paducah,
Ky.,
where they will go up against top competitors from the LBL, Hoosier
and
Great Lakes divisions for a shot at qualifying for the $250,000
All-American.
Awards for the 2001 BFL season could reach $5.7 million based
on full fields
at each tournament.
Back to Plains Division
New Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League To Visit
Grand Lake
Grove, Okla. (June 4, 2001) - Operation Bass, the
nation's premier bass
tournament organization, will hold its fourth Wal-Mart Bass Fishing
League
(BFL) tournament in the Plains Division June 16 on Grand Lake.
The event is
one of five Plains Division tournaments included in the new 119-event
national series for weekend anglers.
Last spring Wal-Mart announced its title sponsorship of the
popular
Operation Bass Red Man Tournament Trail series that is widely
credited with
opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. The announcement
marked the
end of an era for Red Man, which became the tour's original title
sponsor in
1983 and helped Operation Bass pioneer affordable, close-to-home,
weekend
tournaments.
Operation Bass chairman Irwin L. Jacobs believes that Wal-Mart's
sponsorship
of the BFL will open new marketing avenues for the retailer and
the series.
"Wal-Mart is committed to elevating sport fishing in America,"
he said.
"This sponsorship is a natural extension for them, as it
will have a
significant impact on their customers in grass roots markets.
Wal-Mart
customers and fishing enthusiasts are one and the same."
Wal-Mart sponsorship of the BFL signals the company's strong
commitment to
one of the nation's most popular pastimes and bodes well for
the future of
the sport. In recent years, professional bass fishing has moved
from the
backwaters of southern impoundments to the mainstream largely
due the
big-money Wal-Mart FLW Tour and EverStart Series, both of which
are
Operation Bass programs.
"We are always looking for innovative ways to reach our
customers," said
Mike McFadden, vice president, divisional merchandise manager
for Wal-Mart.
"Our support of the BFL is a new way to communicate with
Wal-Mart customers
who enjoy the outdoors and love to fish."
The BFL features a boater and co-angler format to accommodate
anglers of
various skill levels. It also uses a 200-point scoring system
that ensures
equitable treatment of all competitors. Under the system, an
angler receives
200 points for a win, 199 points for second, 198 points for third
and so on.
Every angler who receives weight credit during a tournament receives
points.
The June 16 weigh-in at Red 11 Port will begin at approximately
2:30 p.m.
The winning boater will collect up to $6,000, and the winning
co-angler will
receive up to $3,000 based on a full field of 200 boaters and
200
co-anglers.
The Wal-Mart BFL will hold its Plains Division Super Tournament
Sept. 8-9 on
Lake Truman.
Nationwide, the BFL is divided into 22 divisions - each featuring
four
one-day qualifying tournaments and a two-day Super Tournament.
Entry fees in
each qualifying event are $150 for boaters and $75 for co-anglers.
Entry
fees for Super Tournaments are doubled, as are payouts. Each
Super
Tournament will award up to $12,000 to the winning boater and
up to $6,000
to the winning co-angler.
After the qualifying events and the Super Tournaments are
complete, the top
30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers from each division advance to
one of six
three-day regional tournaments. At the regionals, boaters compete
for a new
Chevy Truck and a Ranger boat. Co-anglers fish for a Ranger boat.
Anglers
who have fished all five tournaments within a division but do
not qualify
for a regional can compete in the Chevy Trucks Wild Card Regional
for a shot
at qualifying for the $250,000 BFL All-American - one of the
most lucrative
post-season tournaments in competitive angling.
The top eight boaters and top eight co-anglers from each regional
(four from
the Western Regional) will advance to the All-American along
with the top
six boaters and top six co-anglers from the Chevy Wild Card.
The
All-American champion receives priority entry in the 2002 Wal-Mart
FLW Tour.
The top 30 anglers from each BFL division may advance to the
2002 EverStart
Series - the pathway to the FLW Tour.
The support given to bass fishing by the world's leading retailer
is
unprecedented. Wal-Mart's initial sponsorship of the FLW Tour
in 1997 was
the first sponsorship in the company's history. Wal-Mart then
expanded its
involvement in the sport in 1998 as title sponsor of the EverStart
Series.
EverStart is Wal-Mart's private label automotive and marine battery.
It is
also the No. 1 selling retail automotive and marine battery in
the world.
Awards for the 2001 BFL season could reach $5.7 million based
on full fields
at each tournament. Additionally, Ranger Boats will award a new
Ranger 518VX
Comanche bass boat to the highest placing participant in the
Ranger Cup
incentive program at the Wal-Mart BFL All-American. Ranger Cup
participants
are also eligible to win a $500 to $1,000 bonus at each BFL tournament.
Sponsors of the 2001 Wal-Mart BFL are ALPO Pet Foods, BC Powder,
BFGoodrich
Tires, Black & Decker, Chevy Trucks, CITGO, Coleman, Conseco,
Energizer,
EverStart Batteries, Frito-Lay, FujiFilm, Garmin, Kellogg's,
Land O'Lakes,
Mercury Marine, Minn Kota, Pepsi, Poulan, Pure Fishing, Ranger
Boats,
Snickers Cruncher Bar, Stren, Shop-Vac, Timex, US Bank, Visa,
Weed Eater,
Wrangler and Yamaha Outboards. ACDelco is an associate sponsor
of the
Wal-Mart BFL.
Back to Plains Division
Apr 2001 |
Feb 2001
Back to Walmart
Bass Fishing League | Tournament
Results
Latest News | Reader's
Nook | Current Articles | Angler Archives
.
|
Walmart Bass 
