Walser wins Carolina Division event on Lake Murray
PROSPERITY, S.C. – Boater Robert Walser of Lexington, N.C., earned $4,910 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Carolina Division event on Lake Murray. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Carolina Division events and featured 195 boaters vying for the win, which earned Walser 200 points in the Boater Division.
Walser’s winning catch of five bass weighed 20 pounds, 11 ounces, and he caught them on a buzzbait and a Zoom lizard. Walser also earned $1,000 from Garmin for using only Garmin electronics during the event.
Finishing second was Chris Baldwin of Lexington, N.C., with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces that earned him $2,455. Norm Attaway of North Augusta claimed $1,670 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce. In fourth was Tracy Hewitt of Orangeburg with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 12 ounces worth $1,277, and finishing fifth and earning $1,080 was Andy Montgomery of Grover, N.C., with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces.
Baldwin earned a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. Steve Phillips of Lugoff took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $975 for a 9-pound, 10-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a spinnerbait.
Steve Harwood of Weaverville, N.C., bested 191 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,423 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces that he caught on a Texas-rigged worm.
Finishing second was Bill Price of Gaffney with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 13 ounces that earned him $1,212. Tied for third were Jeffrey Eudy of Albemarle, N.C., and Kenneth Cooper of Ninety Six. Both anglers caught five bass weighing 11 pounds, 14 ounces that earned each of them $727. Kenneth Stamey of Lincolnton, N.C., finished fifth with four bass that weighed 11 pounds, 13 ounces worth $533.
Steve Atkinson of Hartsville earned $478 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass he caught on a green pumpkin Zoom lizard.
The Carolina Division’s next event will be held May 22 on the Santee Cooper lakes near Summerton, followed by an event on High Rock Lake in Salisbury, N.C., June 19. The Carolina Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 18-19 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Wylie near York.
Following the regular season, the Carolina Division boater with the most points will earn $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader. The co-angler amassing the most points will earn $500 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on. The top 30 Carolina Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kerr Lake regional near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 5-9, where they will compete against Buckeye, Northeast and Savannah River division anglers for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American. With a $100,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $50,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing.
The $6.3 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 24 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired, with boaters supplying the boat and fishing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing from the back deck against other co-anglers. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.
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 visit FLWOutdoors.com’s sponsor page.