Griffin gets BFL win on Lake Texoma - Major League Fishing

Griffin gets BFL win on Lake Texoma

Gambill gets co-angler win
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Boater Chad Griffin of Cresson, Texas, won the Sept. 19-20 BFL Cowboy Division tournament on Lake Texoma to earn $4,110. Angler: Chad Griffin.
September 20, 2009 • MLF • Archives

DENISON, Texas – Chad Griffin of Cresson, Texas, won the Walmart Bass Fishing League final Cowboy Division tournament on Lake Texoma Sunday with a two-day, 10-bass catch weighing 22 pounds, 5 ounces. The victory earned Griffin $4,110.

Anglers were competing to qualify for the DeGray Lake Regional Championship in Arkadelphia, Ark., Oct. 22-24, where they could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

“I had a pretty tough practice with the wind as bad as it was and was worried going into the tournament on Saturday,” said Griffin. “But I am pretty versatile, so when the weather changed for the better, I was able to make the adjustments that other anglers were not able to make.”

With Saturday and Sunday bringing the best weather Denison has seen in over a month and a half, Griffin fished on what he called his past history. He hit every hole he had ever caught a 3-pound or better fish in, covering a whole lot of water. He fished in really shallow water using a Custom Angle Rod, 20-pound fluorocarbon line with a 3/8-ounce shaky head and Yum CrawBug.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Brian Clark of Haltom City, Texas (10 bass, 22-4, $2,055); Bill Glascock of Kingston, Okla. (7 bass, 21-4, $1,369); Donald Merki of Denton, Texas (8 bass, 19-6, $959); and Toby Wallace of Tolar, Texas (9 bass, 19-2, $822).

Bob Weaver of Lawton, Okla., took home the Boater Division Folgers Big Bass award, earning $442 for a 5-pound, 14-ounce bass he caught.

Brian Gambill of Sachse, Texas, earned $2,055 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to eight bass Brian Gambill of Sachse, Texas, earned $2,055 as the co-angler winner of the Sept. 19-20 BFL Cowboy Division event. weighing 12 pounds, 3 ounces that he caught on a shaky head.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Michael Fleehearty of Nashville, Ind. (7 bass, 12, $1,028); Dustin Robinson of Anacoco, La. (6 bass, 11-10, $684); Ron Knight of Hot Springs, Ark. (6 bass, 10-11, $480); and Jay Moore of Frisco, Texas (7 bass, 10-6, $411).

James Moore Jr. earned $221 as the co-angler Folgers Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass.

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 Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event 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. 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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For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.