BIRDSEYE, Ind. – Boater John Borges of Cincinnati earned $4,631 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division event on Patoka Lake. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Hoosier Division events and featured 181 boaters vying for the win, which earned Borges 200 points in the Boater Division.
Borges’ winning catch of five bass weighed 16 pounds, 1 ounce, and he caught them flipping a tube to shallow stumps. He also received a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.
Finishing second was Chris Myers of Madison with five bass weighing 14 pounds that earned him $2,316. Jeff Wehner of Noblesville claimed $1,575 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces. In fourth was Frank McClain of Scottsburg with four bass weighing 13 pounds, 8 ounces worth $1,204, and finishing fifth and earning $1,019 was Todd Hensley of New Albany with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 9 ounces.
Dan Pardue of Morgantown took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $905 for a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a Zara Spook Junior.
Thomas Cottle of Lebanon, Ohio, bested 177 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,285 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 10 pounds, 15 ounces that he caught on a Zara Spook Junior.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Kenneth Smith of Austin (four bass, 10 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,142); Jason Fromme of Jasper (three bass, 9 pounds, 6 ounces, $777); Jim Deisher of Indianapolis (three bass, 9 pounds, $594); and Barry Gunter of Trafalgar (three bass, 8 pounds, 14 ounces, $503).
Mike Barr of Otisco and Chris Gable of Brandenburg, Ky., tied for co-angler big-bass honors. Both anglers caught a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass to earn $222 each.
The Hoosier Division’s next event will be held June 12 on the Ohio River near Cannelton, followed by an event on Lake Monroe in Bloomington Aug. 28. The Hoosier Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 18-19 with a two-day Super Tournament that will also be held on the Ohio River near Cannelton.
Following the regular season, the Hoosier 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 Hoosier Division boaters and 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 Choo Choo, Great Lakes and Michigan 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.