Johnson wins BFL event on Clarks Hill

THOMSON, Ga. – Boater Craig Johnson of Martinez earned $4,631 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division event on Clarks Hill Lake. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Bulldog Division events and featured 181 boaters vying for the win, which earned Johnson 200 points in the Boater Division.

Johnson’s winning catch of five bass weighed 18 pounds, 6 ounces, and he caught them on a Spot Remover in clear water. This is his third career BFL victory.

Finishing second was Terry Stevens of Marianna, Fla., with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 13 ounces that earned him $2,316. Jim Murray Jr. of Arabi claimed $1,575 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces. In fourth was Kip Carter of Oxford with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 10 ounces worth $1,204, and finishing fifth and earning $1,019 was William Fortner of Jasper with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces.

Carter earned $500 from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. Tony King of Macon took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $905 for a 6-pound bass. He caught his big bass on a Senko.

Hank Geylin of Columbus bested 177 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,285 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 10 pounds, 2 ounces that he caught on a green pumpkin Zoom lizard.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Kevin Giddens of Moultrie (five bass, 9 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,142); Jon Garrett of Tifton (five bass, 9 pounds, 14 ounces, $777); James Burns of Gainesville (four bass, 8 pounds, 11 ounces, $594); and Thomas Ray of Manchester (four bass, 8 pounds, 8 ounces, $503).

Thomas Cox of Canton earned $443 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 3-pound, 10-ounce bass.

The Bulldog Division’s next event will be held May 15 on Lake Oconee near Buckhead, followed by an event on West Point Lake in Lanett, Ala., June 26. The Bulldog Division will wrap up its regular season Oct. 2-3 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Eufaula near Eufaula, Ala.

Following the regular season, the Bulldog 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 Bulldog Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Wheeler Lake regional near Rogersville, Ala., Oct. 19-23, where they will compete against LBL, Mountain and Shenandoah 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.