Bass lives up to name in Guntersville Super Tournament

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – Boater Sam Bass of Section, Ala., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division Super Tournament on Lake Guntersville with a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 45 pounds, 4 ounces. The victory earned Bass $5,970 plus a $1,053 Ranger contingency bonus 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.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Randall Tharp of Gardendale, Ala. (10 bass, 38-1, $3,512); Tim Buckner of Scottsboro, Ala. (10 bass, 36-11, $2,341); Freddy Palmer of Estill Springs, Tenn. (10 bass, 34-6, $1,639); and Adam Postelle of Rocky Face, Ga. (10 bass, 28-3, $1,405).

Mark Mauldin of Cleveland, Tenn., and Brad Yates of Dutton, Ala., each took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $517.50 for a 7-pound, 6-ounce bass.

Gerald Thompson of Bridgeport, Ala., earned $3,455 as the co-angler winner thanks to 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 4 ounces that he caught while flipping a frog in and around grass.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jett Loach of Rossville, Ga. (eight bass, 24-3, $1,728); Ricky Williams of Russellville, Ala. (eight bass, 21-6, $1,154); Wes Ward of Birmingham, Ala. (six bass, 21-3, $806); and Paul Higdon of Rainsville, Ala. (seven bass, 19-14, $691).

Scott Loftin of Powder Springs, Ga., earned $502 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass.

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 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.