Newberry No. 1 boater at BFL Super Tournament on Sam Rayburn

BROOKELAND, Texas – Dicky Newberry of Houston caught 10 bass weighing 33 pounds, 7 ounces to win $8,320 at the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division Super Tournament, held this weekend on Sam Rayburn Reservoir near Brookeland. Newberry bested 162 Boater Division competitors and earned 300 points at the tournament, which was the fifth and final Cowboy Division event of the regular season.

Newberry caught five bass Saturday weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces to finish 15th on day one and followed that up Sunday with another five bass weighing 20 pounds, 9 ounces to earn the win. As the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, Newberry also claimed a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats, and he earned another $1,000 from Garmin for using a fixed-mount Garmin Fishfinder or combination GPS/sounder.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Jeff Buchanan of Lufkin (10 bass, 33 pounds, 3 ounces); R.D. Lewis of Hemphill (nine bass, 32 pounds, 11 ounces); Roy Sanford of Brookeland (nine bass, 32 pounds, 6 ounces); and Bob Bryant of Nacogdoches (10 bass, 31 pounds, 10 ounces).

Phil Addison of Baytown claimed $1,620 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 7-pound, 10-ounce bass.

Clint Bridges of Round Rock led 158 Co-angler Division competitors on day two to claim $4,102 as the Super Tournament co-angler winner. He caught four bass Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 15 ounces to finish second and followed that up Sunday with another five bass weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces to earn the win. Bridges also took co-angler big-bass honors and $790 with a 7-pound, 13-ounce bass.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mike Power of Canyon Lake (10 bass, 24 pounds); Ken Denney of Willis, (seven bass, 22 pounds, 13 ounces); Douglas Morris of Baytown (eight bass, 22 pounds, 12 ounces); and Jimmy Cole Jr. of Montgomery (seven bass, 21 pounds, 3 ounces).

Newberry is the Cowboy Division’s Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, winning $1,000 for the 1061 points he earned during five regular-season tournaments. Bobby Barreraz of Center is the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division. He earned $500 for his division-leading 1044 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Cowboy Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 21-25 on the Red River near Natchitoches, La., where they will go up against top competitors from the Arkie, Bama and Gulf Coast 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.