Torkleson takes BFL event on Grand Lake - Major League Fishing

Torkleson takes BFL event on Grand Lake

Soukup tops co-anglers
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Boater Chris Torkleson of Sand Springs, Okla., won the Oct. 3-4 BFL Okie Division event on Grand Lake to earn $4,882. Angler: Chris Torkleson.
October 3, 2009 • MLF • Archives

GROVE, Okla. – Chris Torkleson of Sand Springs, Okla., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Okie Division two-day Super Tournament on Grand Lake Sunday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 14 ounces. The victory earned Torkleson $4,882 and solidified his ticket to the DeGray Lake Regional Championship in Arkadelphia, Ark., Oct. 22-24, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

“This win was definitely a relief,” said Torkleson. “I’ve finished second in that event twice. It was a good release to finally win it.”

Torkleson said the weather played a big role in the tournament. A front moved through after the first day of competition, and anglers fished the second day under clouds in wind and misting rain.

Torkleson said he caught his fish on day one on a Lucky Craft RC 1.5 crankbait, but switched to a Zara Spook and Rebel Pop-R on the final day of competition.

“The bites on top were better bites,” Torkleson said. “I only had six bites Sunday, but they were good bites.”

Rounding out the top five boaters are Marc Downs of Midwest City, Okla. (10 bass, 24-14, $2,441); Wade Ramsey of Newalla, Okla. (10 bass, 24-11, $1,625); Nick Aber of Piedmont, Okla. (10 bass, 23-15, $1,139); and Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Okla. (10 bass, 23-5, $976).

Torkleson and Ramsey took home the Boater Division Folgers Big Bass award, each earning $300 for a pair of 5-pound, 3-ounce bass.

Larry Soukup of Agra, Okla., earned $2,441 as the co-angler winner Sunday thanks to a two-day catch Larry Soukup of Agra, Okla., earned $2,441 as the co-angler winner of the Oct. 3-4 BFL Okie Division event.of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 8 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Don Benson of Eufaula, Okla. (nine bass, 20-4, $1,220); Justin Phillips of Checotah, Okla. (nine bass, 19-3, $814); Kevin Berry of Gentry, Ark. (nine bass, 18-7, $570); and Jason Sandidge of Centerton, Ark. (10 bass, 17-11, $488).

Soukup earned $300 as the co-angler Folgers Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 13-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, 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.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also has taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports. Sign up for Player’s Advantage to get your edge and win.

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.