Boyd wins Choo Choo Division event on Weiss Lake

CEDAR BLUFF, Ala. – Wayne Boyd of Rome, Ga., earned $4,935 Saturday as winner of the third regular-season Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division event, held on Weiss Lake near Cedar Bluff. He caught five bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces to claim the win and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Boyd caught his tournament-winning bass on a floating worm in the Coosa River. The win was Boyd’s first career BFL victory.

Finishing second was Lance Wiseman of Cedar Bluff with a five-bass catch that weighed 16 pounds, 2 ounces worth $2,468. Terry Bain of Pell City took third place with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 15 ounces that earned him $1,678. Tied for fourth were Jonathan Newton of Rogersville and Jason Whisonant of Hayden. Both anglers caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces that earned each of them $1,184.

Rodney Vice of Chatsworth, Ga., earned $980 as the Boater Division big-bass winner with a 6-pound, 11-ounce bass. Newton earned $500 from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Jay Brewer of Collinwood, Tenn., claimed $2,468 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a five-bass catch weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces that he caught on a Fluke in shallow-water weedbeds.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Joseph Casey of Hueytown (four bass, 11 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,234); W. Skeeter Collins of Vinemont (five bass, 11 pounds, $839); Dennis Sandoval of Decatur (five bass, 10 pounds, 8 ounces, $642); and Brent Nelson of Acworth, Ga. (five bass, 10 pounds, 7 ounces, $543).

Matthew King of Huntsville earned $490 as the co-angler big-bass winner thanks to a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass he caught on a spinnerbait.

The Choo Choo Division’s next stop will be June 26 on Neely Henry in Gadsden, and the regular season will come to a close Oct. 2-3 with a two-day Super Tournament on Guntersville Lake in Guntersville.

Following the regular season, the top 30 boaters and 30 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kentucky Lake regional presented by Yamaha near Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 12-16, where they will compete against anglers from the Great Lakes, Hoosier and Michigan 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 Choo Choo 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.