JACKSON, Miss. – Boater Herb Blush of Yazoo City, Miss., earned 300 points and $5,942 Sunday as the winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division Super Tournament on Ross Barnett Reservoir.
Blush’s two-day winning catch of seven bass weighed 22 pounds, 1 ounce.
“It was a tough bite,” Blush said. “I thought I was fishing for third place after day one because there are some good fishermen who never have two bad days in a row.”
Blush targeted bass in vegetation using a black and red Strike King Flip-n-Tube. He said the bite required a very subtle presentation coupled with a lot of patience.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Jesse Draime of Long Beach, Miss. (six bass, 18 pounds, 1 ounce $2,971); Shannon Denson of Brandon, Miss. (six bass, 16 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,983); Bradley Burns of Flowood, Miss. (six bass, 12 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,386); and Wesley Carter of Collierville, Tenn. (six bass, 12 pounds, 2 ounces, $1,188).
Carter also took home an additional $500 for being the highest-placing Ranger Cup participant.
Glenn Robinson of Carthage, Miss., won the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass that earned him $802.
Monte Knight of Quitman, Miss., earned $2,971 as the co-angler winner thanks to five bass weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Joel Ross of Brandon, Miss. (three bass, 10 pounds, 11 ounces, $1,486); Andrew Harris of Jackson, Miss. (five bass, 10 pounds, 1 ounce, $989); Doug Young of Caledonia, Miss. (four bass, 9 pounds, 13 ounces, $693); and Jesse Locke of Vanleave, Miss. (two bass, 8 pounds, $594).
Locke also earned $401 as the co-angler Snickers Big Bass winner with a 6-pound, 5-ounce bass.
The top 40 Mississippi Division boaters and 40 co-anglers, based on year-end points standings, will now advance to the no-entry-fee Demopolis Regional Championship in Demopolis, Ala., Oct. 19-21, where they will compete against Choo-Choo, Everglades and Seminole division anglers for a new Ranger boat, as well as a Chevy truck in the Boater Division, plus six slots in the no-entry-fee 2007 Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. With a total purse of $1 million and a potential $140,000 cash 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 Boater Division points champion who advances the farthest at the All-American will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler points champion who advances the farthest will earn $5,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion in the Co-angler Division.
For complete Mississippi Division standings, visit FLWOutdoors.com.
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.
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.
For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com.
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.