Horton wins Wal-Mart BFL Northeast Division tournament

Dwayne Horton of Knoxville, Tenn., at left, topped 165 Wal-Mart BFL competitors Saturday on Thousand Islands and earned $4,347 with a catch of 15 pounds, 13 ounces. Judy Israel of Clewiston, Fla., claimed first place and $2,173 in the Co-angler Division with 15 pounds, 3 ounces. Anglers: Dwayne Horton, Judy Israel.

July 13, 2002 • MLF • Archives

CLAYTON, N.Y. – Dwayne Horton of Knoxville, Tenn., topped 165 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on Thousand Islands with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces. The catch earned him $4,347and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Horton caught his limit using a Zoom tube and a Stanley Wedge spinner bait in the middle of Lake Ontario. The catch topped second-place boater Robert Tarr of Canonsburg, Pa., by 9 ounces. Tarr finished the one-day tournament with a five-bass catch weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces worth $2,173. Horton also received a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Kevin Bishop of Hilton, N.Y., finished third with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 15 ounces, netting him $1,304. Three anglers each had a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces to tie for fourth: Ron Bane Jr. of Frackville, Pa., John Bednash of Haymarket, Pa., and Bud Schosger of Painted Post, N.Y. Each angler earned $927 for his catch.

Brian Sanson of Chittenango, N.Y., earned boater big bass honors and $825 with a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass that he caught flipping a Lil’ Hustler Jig to grass. He finished in 53rd place overall, with two bass weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces.

Judy Israel of Clewiston, Fla., claimed first place and $2,173 in the 165-competitor Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces. She surpassed second-place co-angler Joseph Zombek of Scranton, Pa., by 1 pound, 13 ounces. Zombek finished with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 6 ounces worth $1,087. Israel also earned big bass honors and $413 in her division with a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass.

Charles Sayer of Reading, Pa. (five bass, 12 pounds, 6 ounces, $652); Eric Johnson of Bloomsburg, Pa. (five bass, 12 pounds); and John Yankovich of Washington, Pa., (five bass, 11 pounds, 8 ounces, $478) rounded out the top five co-anglers.

Overall, 75 five-bass limits were caught during the tournament.

The Wal-Mart BFL will visit Cayuga Lake Aug. 3 for the third of five Northeast Division events. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 14-15 on Lake Cayuga, 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 Northeast Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition Oct. 15-19 on Kerr Lake near Henderson, N.C., where they will go up against top competitors from the Buckeye, Mountain and Savannah River divisions 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.

Sponsors of the 2002 Wal-Mart BFL are Wal-Mart, ALPO Pet Foods, BC Powder, BFGoodrich Tires, Castrol, Chevy Trucks, Conseco, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Evinrude, Faded Glory, Frito-Lay, FujiFilm, GARMIN, Kellogg’s, Land O’Lakes, Minn Kota, Newell Rubbermaid, Pepsi, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers, Stanley Works, Stren, US Bank, Weed Eater and Yamaha Outboards.