Maurer masters Muskegon Lake in Wal-Mart BFL event

MUSKEGON, Mich. – Boater Doug Maurer of Grand Rapids earned $3,332 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division event on Muskegon Lake. The tournament was the third of five regular-season Michigan Division events and earned Maurer 200 points in the Boater Division.

Maurer’s winning catch of five bass weighed 15 pounds, 11 ounces. Maurer threw watermelon-colored Yamamoto Senkos around shallow weeds to catch his bass.

Finishing second was Norman Greene of Grand Haven with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces that earned him $1,666. Jack Perrin of Sparta claimed $1,091 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 14 pounds, 1 ounce. In fourth was Derek Cummings of Mason with five bass weighing 14 pounds worth $848, and finishing fifth and earning $697 was Clift Jackson of Muskegon with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 15 ounces.

Mark Snyder of Saint Johns took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $490 for a 4-pound, 11-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.

Garry Rizzo of Glenview, Ill., earned $1,615 as the co-angler winner, thanks to four bass weighing 14 pounds, 1 ounce that he caught on a tube.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Renee Hensley of Edwardsburg (four bass, 13 pounds, 7 ounces, $808); Christopher Tyler of Grandville (five bass, 12 pounds, 4 ounces, $527); Duane Mayhew of Warsaw, Ind., and Bart Say of Van Wert, Ohio, tied for fourth place. Mayhew caught five bass weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces and Say caught four bass weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces. Each co-angler earned $374.

William Gordon of Newark, Ohio, earned $238 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 4-pound, 7-ounce bass he caught on a watermelon Yamamoto Senko.

The Michigan Division’s next event will be held Aug. 20 on the Detroit River near Trenton. The division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 10-11 with a two-day Super Tournament on the Detroit River near Trenton.

Following the regular season, the Michigan 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 Michigan Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Ohio River Regional near Paducah, Ky., Oct. 11-15 where they will compete against Arkie, Hoosier and Great Lakes 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 visit FLWOutdoors.com.

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.