Greene grabs BFL win on Lake Shelbyville

FINDLAY, Ill. – Boater Dale Greene of Mount Vernon, Ill., earned $3,766 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Illini Division event on Lake Shelbyville. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Illini Division events and earned Greene 200 points in the Boater Division.

Greene’s winning catch of five bass weighed 13 pounds, 8 ounces.

Greene also took home an additional $1,000 for being the highest placing Ranger Cup participant.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Bobby McMullin of Pevely, Mo. (four bass, 13 pounds, 1 ounces, $1,883); Bill Leasher of Neoga, Ill. (four bass, 12 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,256); Haldon Burgener of Moweaqua, Ill. (five bass, 12 pounds, 9 ounces, $879) and Dan McDowell of Mattoon, Ill. (five bass, 10 pounds, 14 ounces, $753).

Gary Bettis of Olney, Ill., won $500 for winning the boater division Big Bass Award with a 5-pound, 14- ounce bass.

Timothy Ernst of Westchester, Ill., won the Co-angler Division to earn $1,883 thanks to five bass weighing 10 pounds, 7 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Colby Thompson of Carbondale, Ill. (three bass, 8 pounds, 15 ounces, $942); Terry Marucco of Decatur, Ill. (four bass, 8 pounds, 13 ounces, $627); James M. Dietel of Loami, Ill. (four bass, 8 pounds, 6 ounces, $439); and Chad Britton of Dieterich, Ill. (three bass, 7 pounds, 8 ounces, $377).

Thompson earned an additional $250 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 4-pound, 9-ounce bass.

The Illini Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 9-10 with a two-day Super Tournament, the divisions fifth and final event, on the Ohio River near Golconda, Ill.

Following the regular season, the 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 Illini Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Fort Madison Regional near Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 5-7, where they will compete against Great Lakes, Michigan and Ozark 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 FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 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 an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.