Auten wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Lake Wylie - Major League Fishing

Auten wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Lake Wylie

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Todd Auten of Lake Wylie, S.C., topped 124 competitors on Lake Wylie this weekend with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces to win $7,732 and 400 points on the boater side of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Carolina Division season finale. Angler: Todd Auten.
September 30, 2001 • MLF • Archives

CLOVER, S.C. – Todd Auten of Lake Wylie, S.C., topped 124 competitors on Lake Wylie this weekend with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces to win $7,732 and 400 points on the boater side of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Carolina Division season finale.

After qualifying for the final round of the two-day Super Tournament in third place with an opening day catch of four bass weighing 11 pounds, 4 ounces, Auten out fished runner up Jason Quinn of Lake Wylie by 3 pounds, 3 ounces to take the win. Auten, who caught the majority of his bass using topwater baits, earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Quinn qualified for the final round in second place with five bass weighing 11 pounds, 6 ounces and finished up with 12 pounds, 1 ounce to win $3,866.

Larry Pearson of Cramerton, N.C., took third place and collected $1,933 with 11 pounds, 15 ounces. Maurice Freeze of Kannapolis, N.C., placed fourth and earned $1,676 with 11 pounds, 14 ounces, while James Atkinson of Lugoff, S.C., placed fifth and earned $1,547 with 9 pounds, 8 ounces.

Norm Attaway of N. Augusta, S.C., won the boater Big Bass Award and collected $1,250 with a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass that he caught on spinnerbait. Attaway also landed the Divisional Points Championship and $1,000 with 1,055 points won during five regular season tournaments.

First place in the Co-angler Division and $3,866 went to Michael McCoy of Burton, S.C., who topped 124 competitors with a final round catch of two bass weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces.First place in the Co-Angler Division and $3,866 went to Michael McCoy of Burton, S.C., who topped 124 competitors with a final round catch of two bass weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces. Second place in the division and $1,933 went to David Poe of Savannah, Ga., with 6 pounds, 9 ounces, while Gene Butts Sr. of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., took third place and $967 with 5 pounds, 12 ounces.

Brett Badgett of Charlotte, N.C., won the co-angler Big Bass Award of $625 with a 3-pound, 12-ounce bass that he caught on a spinnerbait.

Trey Thomas of Sumter, S.C., landed the Co-Angler Points Championship and $500 with 1,007 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Carolina Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 9-13 on Weiss Lake near Cedar Bluff, Ala., where they will go up against top competitors from the Ozark, Choo Choo and Illini divisions for a shot at qualifying for the BFL All-American, which features an estimated purse of $345,000 and ranks as one of the most lucrative post-season tournaments in competitive angling. The top two boaters and co-anglers may also qualify for the Ranger M1 tournament in Mobile, Ala., Feb. 27-March 2, 2002, where they can win up to $1 million.

Awards for the 2001 BFL season could reach $5.7 million based on full fields at each 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.