JASPER, Texas – Scott David of Goodrich, Texas, outpaced 201 competitors Saturday with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 15 ounces to win $6,030 and 200 points on the boater side of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Cowboy Division opener on Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
David topped Robert Anderson of Keithville, La., and Wade Stout of Kingwood, Texas, by 7 pounds, 4 ounces in the one-day event that set out from Twin Dikes Marina. Anderson and Stout tied for second and collected $2,261 each with 14-pound, 11-ounce catches. Anderson also won the boater Big Bass Award and collected $1,005 with a 9-pound, 11-ounce largemouth that he caught on green pumpkin-colored tubebait in Buck Bay. He caught four bass, and Stout had five bass.
David caught his limit of bass under cloudy skies using a pink Berkley Power Craw around buck brush in the south end of the lake.
Chris Smith of Longview, Texas, took fourth place and collected $1,307 with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 3 ounces. Jeff Holder of Bossier City, La., placed fifth and earned $1,206 with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 1 ounce.
First place in the Co-Angler Division and $3,015 went to Larry Matthews of League City, Texas, who topped 201 competitors with five bass weighing 10 pounds, 11 ounces. Second place in the division and $1,507 went to Devin Bowden of Longview, Texas, with five bass weighing 10 pounds, 3 ounces, while Scott Bailey of Longview took third place and $754 with four bass weighing 10 pounds, 1 ounce. Bailey also won the co-angler Big Bass Award of $502 with a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass.
Boater Dick Newberry of Houston, Texas, won $500 as the highest finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. He finished in seventh place with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces.
Overall, 648 bass weighing 1,344 pounds, 14 ounces were caught during the tournament, including 31 five-bass limits.
The BFL will visit Lake Palestine April 28 for the second of five events in the Cowboy Division. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 29-30 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, will be declared the Divisional Points Champion and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive $500.
The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Cowboy Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 16-20 on the Red River near Shreveport, La., where they will go up against top competitors from the Okie, Arkie and Mississippi divisions for a shot at qualifying for the $250,000 All-American.
Awards for the 2001 BFL season could reach $5.7 million based on full fields at each tournament.