Murphy outfishes field on Ohio River - Major League Fishing

Murphy outfishes field on Ohio River

Luce tops Co-angler Division
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Boater Nathan Murphy of Harrisburg, Ill., won the Aug. 8 BFL Illini Division tournament on the Ohio River to earn $3,113. Angler: Nathan Murphy.
August 8, 2009 • MLF • Archives

GOLCONDA, Ill. – Nathan Murphy of Harrisburg, Ill., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Illini Division tournament on the Ohio River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 11 pounds, 6 ounces. The victory earned Murphy $3,113 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Mississippi River Regional Championship in Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 1-3, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Murphy said he caught his limit using an assortment of baits including throwing soft plastics.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Jay Peterson of Clinton, Ill. (five bass, 9-13, $1,557); Carl Wasem of Belleville, Ill. (five bass, 9-11, $1,037); Bradley Smith of Saint Jacob, Ill. (five bass, 9-6, $726); and Jeff Fulkerson of Elizabethtown, Ill. (five bass, 9-5, $623).

Jay Peterson took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $365 for a 4 pound, 2-ounce bass he caught.

Michael Luce of Ledbetter, Ky., earned $1,557 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass Michael Luce of Ledbetter, Ky., earned $1,557 as the co-angler winner of the Aug. 8 BFL Illini Division event.weighing 10 pounds, 10 ounces that he caught on a worm.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Patrick O’Dell of Neoga, Ill. (five bass, 10-9, $778); Aaron Wehmeyer of Bloomington, Ill. (five bass, 9-13, $521); Jeff Scott of Sumner, Ill. (five bass, 8-2, $363); and James Schubert of Mount Vernon, Ill. (five bass, 7-12, $311).

Rick McGuire of Warrenton, Mo., earned $182 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 3-pound, 13-ounce bass.

The next Illini Division event, a two-day Super Tournament, will be held on Lake Shelbyville in Findlay, Ill., Aug. 29-30.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition.

The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee 2010 Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Walmart FLW Tour.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

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 FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament circuit.

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

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