Kremer outfishes field at Harris Chain of Lakes
TAVARES, Fla. – Boater Joseph Kremer of Osteen, Fla., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Gator Division tournament on Harris Chain of Lakes Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 24 pounds, 11 ounces. The victory earned Kremer $5,083 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Clarks Hill Lake Regional Championship in Appling, Ga., Oct. 11-13, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
Kremer targeted three areas with sparse grass and caught his fish on a junebug Culprit Flippin’ Craw.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Ricky Danner of Ocala, Fla., (five bass, 22-9, $2,991); James Graves of Moultrie, Ga., (five bass, 22-5, $1,994); Jeff Fitts of Keystone Heights, Fla., (five bass, 21-6, $1,396) and Toby Young of Summerfield, Fla., (five bass, 21-3, $1,196).
Mark Evans of Palm Bay, Fla., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $990 for a 9-pound, 5-ounce bass.
Daniel Davis of Gainesville, Fla., earned $2,991 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 16 pounds, 14 ounces that he caught while pitching a trick worm and slow cranking a crankbait.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Charles Gomez of Tampa, Fla., (five bass, 15-1, $1,495); Robert Crosnoe of Inverness, Fla., (four bass, 14-8, $998); Robbie Engal of Longwood, Fla., (five bass, 12-7, $698) and Steve Coleman of Frostproof, Fla., (four bass, 12-0, $598).
Crosnoe earned $495 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 9-pound bass.
The Gator Division’s next event will be March 17 on Kissimmee in Lake Wales, Fla., followed by a tournament May 5 on Kissimmee in Lake Wales, Fla. The final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 15-16 on Harris Chain of Lakes in Tavares, Fla.
Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on year-end points standings in the division will advance to the no-entry-fee Clarks Hill Lake Regional Championship where they will compete against top qualifiers from three other BFL divisions. At the Regional Championship boaters will fish for a new Ranger boat and Chevy truck and co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger boat. The top six boaters and top six co-anglers at the Regional Championship will also advance to the 2008 All-American presented by Chevy. With a total purse of $1 million, a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and as much as $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing. The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American also advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the sport’s biggest championship.
The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired. Boaters supply the boat and fish from the front deck against other boaters while co-anglers compete 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, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, 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 will offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 238 events in 2007.
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.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.