GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Shawn Penn of Benton, Ky., outpaced 152 competitors on Kentucky Lake Saturday with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 15 ounces to win $4,970 and 200 points on the boater side of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division opener.
Penn edged out Neal Ramsey of Harrison, Ohio, by 4 ounces in the one-day event that set out from Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park. Ramsey finished with a five-bass catch weighing 16 pounds, 11 ounces to win $2,485. Penn caught his limit using a shad-colored Smithwick Rouge near gravel and chunk rock banks.
Jeff Evans of Benton, Ky., took third place and collected $1,242 with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces. He also collected an additional $500 as the highest finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.
Tim Griggs of Paducah, Ky., placed fourth and earned $1,077 with four bass weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces, while Rick Murphy of Plainfield, Ind., placed fifth and earned $994 with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces.
Sam Henry of Murray, Ky., won the boater Big Bass Award and collected $760 with a 7-pound, 4-ounce largemouth that he caught on black and brown jig while fishing chunk rock banks in Lake Barkley.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $2,485 went to Bill Russell of Lebanon Junction, Ky., who topped 152 competitors with four bass weighing 11 pounds, 15 ounces. Second place in the division and $1,242 went to Charles Conway of Paducah, Ky., with three bass weighing 10 pounds, 14 ounces, while Larry Lamontagne of Fenton, Mo., took third place and $621 with three bass weighing 9 pounds.
Danny Kincaid of Cincinnati, Ohio, won the co-angler Big Bass Award of $380 with a 7-pound, 12-ounce bass that he caught off of a rocky bank in Lake Barkley.
Overall, 306 bass weighing 852 pounds, 2 ounces were caught during the tournament, including four five-bass limits.
The BFL will visit Lake Barkely State Park April 28 for the second of five events in the LBL Division. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 8-9 on Kentucky Lake, will be declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive $500.
The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the LBL 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 Plains, 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.