Lynch wins LBL Division event on Kentucky, Barkley lakes
BUCHANAN, Tenn. – Drew Lynch of Paducah, Ky., earned $4,482 Saturday as winner of the third regular-season Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League LBL Division event, held on Kentucky and Barkley lakes near Buchanan. He caught five bass weighing 19 pounds, 6 ounces to claim the win and 200 points in the Boater Division.
Lynch caught his tournament-winning bass in Kentucky Lake on a jig. He earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, and he earned another $500 from Yamaha because his boat is powered by a Yamaha outboard.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Ray Barga of Gilbertsville, Ky. (five bass, 18 pounds, 10 ounces, $2,241); Sam Lashlee of Camden (five bass, 17 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,524); Gerald Andrews of Benton, Ky. (five bass, 17 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,165); and Daniel York of Benton, Ky. (five bass, 17 pounds, 3 ounces, $986).
Andrews earned $860 as the Boater Division big-bass winner thanks to a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass he caught on a crankbait in Lake Barkley.
John Elliott Jr. of Paducah, Ky., claimed $2,189 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a five-bass catch weighing 15 pounds, 11 ounces that he caught on a crankbait in the north end of Kentucky Lake.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Eric Law of Primm Springs (four bass, 13 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,095); Kevin Teitsort of Paducah, Ky. (five bass, 12 pounds, 15 ounces, $744); D.J. Jones of Brownsville (five bass, 11 pounds, 3 ounces, $569); and Andy Collins of Nolensville (five bass, 10 pounds, 10 ounces, $482).
John Cambron of Morganfield, Ky., took co-angler big-bass honors with a 5-pound, 14-ounce bass. He earned $420 for his big bass.
The LBL Division’s next stop will be June 12 on Kentucky/Barkley in Hardin, Ky., and the regular season will come to a close Sept. 11-12 with a two-day Super Tournament on Kentucky/Barkley in Gilbertsville, Ky.
Following the regular season, the top 30 boaters and 30 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 anglers from the Bulldog, Mountain and Shenandoah 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 LBL 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.