Cox outfishes field in BFL tourney on Kissimmee Lake - Major League Fishing

Cox outfishes field in BFL tourney on Kissimmee Lake

Best boater lands 10-pound bass, top co-angler hauls in 9-1 lunker
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Boater John Cox of Debary, Fla., earned $3,414 as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Gator Division event on Kissimmee Lake. Angler: John Cox.
April 23, 2005 • MLF • Archives

LAKE WALES, Fla. – Boater John Cox of Debary earned $3,414 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Gator Division event on Kissimmee Lake. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Gator Division events and earned Cox 200 points in the Boater Division.

Cox’s winning catch of five bass weighed 24 pounds, 1 ounce. Cox was flipping a 6-inch Culprit June bug worm and casting a spinnerbait when he caught his bass.

Finishing second was John Huls of Lakeland with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 5 ounces that earned him $1,707. Donald Dwayne Davis of Summerfield claimed $1,117 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 20 pounds, 4 ounces. In fourth was Rick Toney of Lithia with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 9 ounces worth $869 and finishing fifth and earning $714 was Johnny Crews of Lakeland with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 11 ounces.

Huls took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $510 for a 10-pound bass he caught on a Gambler June bug worm.

Davis earned an additional $750 as winner of the Ranger Cup and Powered by Yamaha awards.

Brad McCullough of Ocala earned $1,707 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 21 pounds, 7 ounces that he caught on a spinnerbait. McCullough earned an additional $255 as the co-angler big-bass award winner, thanks to a 9-pound, 1-ounce bass.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Keith Carson of Debary (five bass, 18 pounds, $854); Michael Daugherty of Melbourne (five bass, 17 pounds, 1 ounce, $557); Ramon Morales Jr. of Brandon (five bass, 15 pounds, 5 ounces, $435); and Jerry Peterson of Valrico (four bass, 12 pounds, 12 ounces, $357).

The Gator Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 24-25 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Toho near Kissimmee.

Following the regular season, the Gator Division boater with the most points will earn $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler amassing the most points will earn $500 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion 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 40 Gator Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Lake Martin Regional near Alexander City, Ala., Oct. 18-22 where they will compete against Everglades, Mississippi, and Savannah River division anglers for one of six slots in the 2006 All-American. With a total purse of $1 million and a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing.

The $8.4 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 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.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.