Kuykendall wins Savannah River Division event on Lake Hartwell

SENECA, S.C. – Bryan Kuykendall of Canton, N.C., earned $4,508 Saturday as winner of the third regular-season Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division event, held on Lake Hartwell near Seneca. He caught five bass weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces to claim the win and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Kuykendall earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. He earned another $1,000 from Garmin for using only Garmin electronics during the event, and Bombardier also awarded him $1,000 for using an Evinrude Direct Injection outboard.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Duane Rinkus of Denver, N.C. (five bass, 15 pounds, 1 ounce, $2,254); Roy Stuart of Anderson (five bass, 14 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,533); Steven James of Easley (five bass, 14 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,172); and Wendell Ashley of Honea Path (four bass, 14 pounds, 6 ounces, $992).

Ronnie Webb of Dewy Rose, Ga., earned $865 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass.

Ronnie Harrison of Greenville claimed $2,241 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a five-bass catch weighing 11 pounds, 8 ounces.

Finishing second was Roger Vinson of Flowery Branch, Ga., with five bass that weighed 9 pounds, 13 ounces worth $1,121. Walter Cook of Toccoa, Ga., finished third with five bass weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces that earned him $762. Tied for fourth were David Reaves of Pendleton (four bass) and Joseph Pilgrim of Pendleton (five bass). Both anglers caught 9 pounds worth of bass that earned them both $538.

Greg Holcombe of Pickens earned $430 as the co-angler big-bass winner thanks to a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass.

The Savannah River Division’s next stop will be May 8 on Clarks Hill Lake in Thomson, and the regular season will come to a close Sept. 25-26 with a two-day Super Tournament on Clarks Hill Lake in Thomson.

Following the regular season, the top 30 boaters and 30 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 anglers from the Buckeye, Carolina and Northeast divisions for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American. With a $100,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in competitive bass fishing.

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. These points determine angler standings. The Savannah River Division boater who amasses the most points at the end of the regular season will earn $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, and the co-angler earning the most points will earn $500 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division.

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.