Loving lands victory at BFL Super Tournament on Table Rock Lake

KIMBERLING CITY, Mo. – Buster Loving of Rockaway Beach caught 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 3 ounces to win $6,248 at the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Ozark Division Super Tournament, held this weekend on Table Rock Lake near Kimberling City. Loving bested 102 Boater Division competitors and earned 300 points at the tournament, which was the fifth and final Ozark Division event of the regular season.

Loving caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds to finish first on day one and followed that up Sunday with another five bass weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces to earn the win.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Wes Endicott of Joplin (10 bass, 27 pounds, 7 ounces); Rick Holmden of Shellknob (nine bass, 27 pounds, 1 ounce); Larry Steeby of Parsons, Kan. (eight bass, 26 pounds, 9 ounces); and Joe Gundel of Seligman (10 bass, 25 pounds, 15 ounces).

Gundel also claimed a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Donnie Snelling of Montreal claimed $1,020 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 5-pound bass.

Jason Rhea of Springfield led 102 Co-angler Division competitors on day two to claim $3,124 as the Super Tournament co-angler winner. He caught four bass Saturday weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces to finish fifth and followed that up Sunday with another five bass weighing 13 pounds to earn the win.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Scott Miles of Bolivar (seven bass, 18 pounds, 3 ounces); Mike Mueller of O’Fallon (seven bass, 16 pounds, 4 ounces); Gene Purdy of Bentonville, Ark. (seven bass, 15 pounds, 14 ounces); and James Marion of Tulsa, Okla. (seven bass, 13 pounds, 15 ounces).

Jeff Lanzendorf of Fenton took co-angler big-bass honors and $510 with a 4-pound, 7-ounce bass.

Brady Meredith of Springdale, Ark., is the Ozark Division’s Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, winning $1,000 for the 968 points he earned during five regular-season tournaments. Tyler Mills of Norwood is the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division. He earned $500 for his division-leading 1,004 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Ozark Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 21-25 on Beaver Lake near Rogers, Ark., where they will go up against top competitors from the Great Lakes, LBL and Okie divisions for a shot at qualifying for the BFL All-American, one of the most lucrative postseason tournaments in competitive angling.

The BFL comprises 24 divisions nationwide, each featuring five regular-season events that lead to one of six regionals. Four of the regular-season tournaments are one-day events, while the final event, a Super Tournament, is a two-day tournament that will award as much as $70,950 to participating anglers. Anglers who enter all five regular-season events in a division but do not advance to a regional may enter the Chevy Trucks Wild Card for a shot at qualifying for the All-American. The All-American field comprises 84 competitors – six boaters and six co-anglers from six regionals plus six boaters and six co-anglers from the Wild Card.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Each year the top 30 boaters and co-anglers from each BFL division are eligible to advance to the EverStart Series, and the All-American champions are eligible for Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition. The top 15 pros and co-anglers from the Central, Eastern and Northern divisions of the EverStart Series (top 10 from the Western Division) are eligible to advance to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Chevy pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.