LANETT, Ala. – Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League anglers who fished all five regular-season events within their division but did not advance to regional postseason competition still have a shot at earning a lucrative All-American berth by entering the Chevy Trucks Wild Card, scheduled for Nov. 4-8 on West Point Lake near Lanett. The All-American, one of the most storied and prestigious championship events in all of bass fishing, will be held April 14-17 on Lake Hamilton near Hot Springs, Ark., and will award the winning boater $100,000 cash and the winning co-angler $50,000 cash.
As many as 400 anglers are expected to visit West Point Lake for Wild Card competition, where they will practice for three days and then compete for two days. The top six anglers in both the boater and co-angler divisions will then advance to the All-American, where they will face 36 other boaters and 36 other co-anglers for a shot at some of the most lucrative cash awards in competitive bass fishing.
The $6 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 24 nationwide divisions with five regular-season events each. Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, and the top 30 boaters and co-anglers based on year-end point standings advanced to one of six regional competitions. The Wild Card is for anglers who missed their shot at a regional despite competing in the full slate of events within their division. Eddie Waits of Pine Bluff, Ark., advanced to the 2002 All-American from the Chevy Trucks Wild Card and took home $100,000 cash as the winning boater.
Anglers will take off from Southern Harbor Resort in Lanett each day at 7 a.m. Weigh-ins will also be held at Southern Harbor beginning at 3 p.m., and the six boaters and six co-anglers with the heaviest two-day weight will then advance to the All-American.
Under the BFL’s boater and co-angler format, boaters supply the boats, fish from the front deck and control boat movement throughout the competition. Co-anglers fish from the back deck and are competing against other co-anglers.
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.
Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please explore FLWOutdoors.com.
FLW Outdoors and the Wal-Mart FLW Tour are named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood. For more information about FLW Outdoors or any of its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.