Ramey wins Clarks Hill Lake BFL event

THOMSON, Ga. – Boater Division competitor Franklin Ramey III of Abbeville, S.C., earned $3,746 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division event on Clarks Hill Lake in Thomson. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Savannah River Division events. The regular season will wrap up Sept. 25-26 with a two-day Super Tournament that will also be held on Clarks Hill Lake in Thomson.

Ramey bested 133 Boater Division competitors with a five-bass catch weighing 23 pounds, 15 ounces – a margin of victory of more than 5 pounds. He also earned a $1,000 bonus from Bombardier for using an Evinrude Direct Injection outboard.

Finishing second was Trad Whaley of Due West, S.C., with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 3 ounces, worth $1,873. Tied for third were Mike Bouknight of Greenwood, S.C., and Clay Batson of Eatonton. Both anglers caught five bass weighing 15 pounds, 6 ounces that earned each of them $1,124. In fifth was Brian Latimer of Belton, S.C., with a five-bass catch weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces worth $824.

Batson earned $665 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 6-pound, 15-ounce bass. Bouknight earned a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Bo Price of Seneca, S.C., won the 133-competitor Co-angler Division with a five-bass catch weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces. He earned $1,873 for the win.

Finishing second was Tim McGairty of Athens with five bass weighing 9 pounds, 14 ounces worth $937, and in third was Alan Thomerson of Creedmoor, N.C., with five bass that weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce worth $637. Tied for fourth were Benny Rigney of Piedmont, S.C., and Dennis Medlin of Anderson, S.C. Both anglers caught five-bass limits that weighed 8 pounds, 8 ounces to earn $449 each.

Jordan Carter of Hartwell caught a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass to win Co-angler Division big-bass honors and $333.

Following the regular season, the top 30 Savannah River 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. They will compete against qualifying anglers from the Buckeye, Carolina and Northeast divisions for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American, one of competitive bass fishing’s most prestigious events. The winning boater at the All-American will take home $100,000 cash, and the winning co-angler will earn $50,000 cash.

Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded 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.

Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to fish the Chevy Trucks Wild Card for an All-American berth. Six nationwide regionals plus the Wild Card will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total field of 84 competitors.

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.