Allen takes top honors on Red River

SHREVEPORT, La. – Boater Mark Allen of Kemp, Texas, won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Louisiana-Texas Division tournament on the Red River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 18 pounds. The victory earned Allen $3,697 plus a $652 Ranger contingency bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Lake Ouachita Regional Championship in Mount Ida, Ark., Oct. 23-25, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

“I think my Abu Garcia reels, Falcon rods and Berkley Trilene Fluorocarbon line really made a difference,” said Allen, who has won seven tournaments with FLW Outdoors since 2001, earning over $120,000. “There were a whole lot of people around me, and I was just slowing down, fishing really methodically in that area to get of some of the better fish in there.”

High water and muddy conditions prompted Allen to find clear water, where he caught seven keeper bites for the day, flipping a Sweet Beaver and using a Texas-rigged lizard.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Glen Freeman of Converse, La. (five bass, 17-9, $2,175); Charles Hammack of New Caney, Texas (four bass, 11-14, $1,451); Jeff Holder of Bossier City, La. (five bass, 11-12, $1,015) and Richard Cunningham of Ragley, La. (five bass, 11-6, $870).

Jeremy Johnson of Longview, Texas, took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $615 for a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass he caught on a frog.

Shannon Smith of Maud, Texas, earned $2,175 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to four bass weighing 13 pounds, 2 ounces that he caught flipping timber with an oversized tube.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jerrod Vaught of Mount Pleasant, Texas (five bass, 10-10, $1,088); John Ellender Jr. of Hemphill, Texas (three bass, 10-4, $726); Duane Olivier of Opelousas, La. (five bass, 10-0, $507) and James Covington of Denham Springs, La. and Daniel Perry of Pineville, La. (five bass, 9-8, $417).

Smith earned $307 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass he caught flipping timber.

Louisiana-Texas Division anglers will visit the Red River in Natchitoches, La., May 17 for their third regular-season event, followed by an event on Toledo Bend in Many, La., June 28. A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Jasper, Texas, Sept. 20-21.

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 Lake Ouachita 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 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 Forrest Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the sport’s biggest championship.

Tournament anglers aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing, FLW Outdoors offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player’s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.

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.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.

Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.