Bledsoe takes top honors on Jordan Lake

APEX, N.C. – Boater Billy Bledsoe of Fayetteville, N.C., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament on Jordan Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 21 pounds, 14 ounces. The victory earned Bledsoe $3,925 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Fort Loudoun-Tellico Lakes Regional Championship in Lenoir City, Tenn., Oct 18-20, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Bledsoe caught his bass on a Carolina rig on main-lake points.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Lee Williams of Durham, N.C. (four bass, 20-15, $2,309); Richard Szczerbala of New Hill, N.C. (five bass, 19-11, $1,539); Rip Bass of Spring Hope, N.C. (four bass, 16-7, $1,078); and Michael Fox of Statesville, N.C. (five bass, 15-9, $924).

Maurice Freeze of Concord, N.C., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $680 for a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass.

John McBride of Mount Airy, N.C., earned $2,309 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to three bass weighing 10 pounds, 9 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are James Howerton of Danville, Va. (three bass, 8-11, $1,155); Robert Peaslee of Pulaski, Va. (three bass, 8-6, $770); Ricky Byrd of Independence, Va. (two bass, 7-14, $539); and Zachary Blalock of Raleigh, N.C. (three bass, 7-12, $462).

Jason Mulkey of Granite Falls, N.C., earned $340 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 7-pound bass.

The division’s fourth event will be held June 16 on Table Rock Lake in Salisbury, N.C., and the final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 8-9 on Kerr Lake in Henderson, N.C.

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 Fort Loudoun-Tellico Lakes 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 241 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 Walmart.com.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.