Beck wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Lake Russell

Boater Gerald Beck of Lexington, N.C., earned $4,938 March 25 as winner of the BFL Savannah River Division event on Lake Russell. Angler: Gerald Beck.

March 25, 2006 • MLF • Archives

ELBERTON, Ga. – Boater Gerald Beck of Lexington, N.C., earned $4,938 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division event on Lake Russell. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Savannah River Division events and featured 149 boaters vying for the win, which earned Beck 200 points in the Boater Division.

Beck’s winning catch of five bass weighed 15 pounds, 9 ounces. He fished out of the wind throwing a Zoom No. 9 Shad Critter Craw in 15 to 25 feet of water.

Beck also took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $745 for a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Conrad Bolt of Seneca, S.C. (five bass, 14 pounds, 8 ounces, $2,469); Darren Ashley of Calhoun Falls, S.C. (five bass, 14 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,646); Eric Jeter of Asheville, N.C. (five bass, 13 pounds, 2 ounces, $1,152) and Bruce Lowe of Clearwater, S.C. (five bass, 11 pounds, 7 ounces, $988).

Edward Laturell of Watkinsville, Ga., bested 149 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,469 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 11 pounds, 12 ounces that he caught throwing a Carolina rigged worm.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Brad Poole of Hendersonville, N.C. (five bass, 11 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,235); Randy Ball of Woodruff, S.C., (five bass, 10 pounds, 4 ounces, $823) Jimmy Penland of Leicester, N.C. (four bass, 9 pounds, 6 ounces, $576) and Walter Cook of Toccoa, Ga. (five bass, 9 pounds, 4 ounces, $494).

Adam Terry of Greer, S.C., earned $372 as the co-angler big-bass award winner, thanks to a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass.

The Savannah River Division’s next event will be held May 20 on Lake Hartwell near Clemson, S.C., followed by an event on Clarks Hill Lake near Appling, Ga., June 24. The Savannah River Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 16-17 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Keowee near Seneca, S.C.

Following the regular season, the Savannah River Division boater with the most points who advances farthest in the Wal-Mart BFL All-American will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler points champion who advances farthest will earn $5,000 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 Savannah River Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kerr Lake Regional Championship near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 12-14 where they will compete against Gator, Shenandoah and South Carolina division anglers for one of six slots in the 2007 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 $8.8 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 FLWOutdoors.com.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, as well as the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006.

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.