Fofi fishes way to BFL Regional win on Smith Mountain Lake

Stafford co-angler winner

MONETA, Va. – Boater Anthony Fofi of Spring Lake, N.C., earned a fully rigged Ranger 519VX and a new Chevy truck Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Regional event on Smith Mountain Lake. The top 40 boaters and the top 40 co-anglers from the Empire, North Carolina, Northeast and Piedmont divisions competed in the three-day event.

Fofi’s winning three-day catch of 13 bass weighed 36 pounds, 4 ounces. In addition to the new truck and boat, Fofi earned a ticket to the 2007 $1 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League All-American, one of the most prestigious tournaments in bass fishing, where the winning boater will earn as much as $140,000 and the winning co-angler will earn as much as $70,000.

Fofi caught his winning bass by throwing a handmade jig tipped with a Zoom trailer over shallow pieces of wood.

The top six boaters and the top six co-anglers at the regional championship earned a spot to compete in the All-American. Rounding out the top six boaters were Terry Roberson of Williamstown, N.J. (13 bass, 31 pounds, 9 ounces, $4,000); Ray Armes of Forest, Va. (12 bass, 23 pounds, 7 ounces, $2,000); Sean Stepp of Stafford, Va. (10 bass, 19 pounds, 10 ounces, $1,600); Ray Griffin of Henderson, N.C. (eight bass, 18 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,200); and Matt Arey of Shelby, N.C. (eight bass, 18 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,000).

Armes also earned an additional $500 as winner of the Ranger Cup award.

Tony Stafford of Kernersville, N.C., earned a new Ranger boat as the co-angler winner, thanks to a three-day total of five bass weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces that he caught on a combination of a Zoom Brush Hog and a jig pitched in and around shallow wood.

Rounding out the top six co-anglers were Jeffery O’Conner of Charlotte, N.C. (six bass, 14 pounds, 9 ounces, $2,000); Dick Martin of Baltimore, Md. (four bass, 13 pounds, 4 ounces, $1,000); Justin Mesick of Farmington, Conn. (five bass, 12 pounds, 1 ounce, $800); Mike Davidson of Cortland, N.Y. (five bass, 10 pounds, 1 ounce, $600); and Stacy Metz of Staley, N.C. (three bass, 8 pounds, 6 ounces, $500).

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.

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 about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

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.