Karber wins Colorado River Division tournament
YUMA, Ariz. – Cameron Karber, Phoenix, Ariz., topped 72 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on Lake Martinez with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 4 ounces. The catch earned him $2,531 and 200 points in the Boater Division.
Karber caught his limit by flipping a June bug colored tube bait to bushes. His catch topped second-place boater Ed Legan, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., by 6 ounces and earned Karber a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. Legan finished the one-day tournament with a five-bass catch weighing 18 pounds, 14 ounces worth $1,266.
Boaters Tom Kilduff, Dewey, Ariz., (five bass, 17 pounds, 4 ounces, $759) and Rick Francis, Cibola, Ariz., (five bass, 13 pounds, $607) finished third and fourth respectively. John Morrow, Placentia, Calif., and John Murray, Phoenix, Ariz., tied for fifth. Morrow and Murray each caught five bass weighing 12 pounds, 1 ounce and received $506.
Kilduff earned boater big bass honors and $360 with a 7-pound, 14-ounce bass that he caught while flipping a jig.
Gil Lillard, Needles, Calif., claimed first place and $1,256 in the 69-competitor Co-angler Division with three bass weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces. He surpassed second-place co-angler Gary Collins, Moorpark, Calif., by 3 ounces. Collins finished with a four-bass catch weighing 9 pounds worth $628. He also landed co-angler big bass honors and $172 with a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass.
Mike Harris, Helendale, Calif. (two bass, 7 pounds, 5 ounces, $377); Tammy Morrow, Placentia, Calif. (three bass, 6 pounds, 3 ounces, $301); and John Galbraith, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., (three bass, 5 pounds, 14 ounces, $276) rounded out the top-five co-anglers.
Overall, 12 five-bass limits were caught during the tournament.
The Wal-Mart BFL will visit Lake Pleasant April 13 for the third of five Colorado River Division events. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 14-15 on Lake Mead will be declared the Yamaha “Be the Best” Points Leader and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive $500.
The top-30 Colorado River Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition Nov. 12-16 on Lake Havasu near Lake Havasu City, Ariz., where they will go up against top competitors from the Western Division for a shot at qualifying for the Wal-Mart BFL All-American – one of the most lucrative post-season tournaments in competitive angling.
2002 BFL awards could reach $7 million based on full fields.