McCoy wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Lake Mead

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Craig McCoy of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., topped 31 competitors on Lake Mead this weekend with five bass weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces to win $3,247 and 400 points on the boater side of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Colorado River Division season finale.

After qualifying for the final round of the two-day Super Tournament in first place with an opening day catch of five bass weighing 12 pounds, 9 ounces, McCoy out fished runner up Tim Klinger of Boulder City, Nev., by 5 ounces to take the win. McCoy caught the majority of his bass, including a 3-pound, 14-ounce fish that earned him $310 as the biggest bass in the Boater Division, using a black- and watermelon-colored jig in the Overton arm of Lake Mead.

Klinger qualified for the final round in second place with five bass weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces and finished up with 7 pounds, 2 ounces to win $1,624. He also earned a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Jim Jared of Dolan Springs, Ariz., took third place and collected $812 with 7 pounds, 1 ounce. Jack Trahan of Kingman, Ariz., placed fourth and earned $703 with 5 pounds, 11 ounces.

First place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,624 went to Glenda Jackson of Las Vegas, Nev., who topped 31 competitors with a final round catch of four bass weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce. Second place in the division and $812 went to Jeffery Farmer of Twentynine Palms, Calif., with 4 pounds, 8 ounces, while Leonard Thorpe of Torrance, Calif., took third place and $406 with 4 pounds, 7 ounces.

Robert Lorentz of Phoenix, Ariz., and Leonard Thorpe of Torrance, Calif., tied for the co-angler Big Bass Award with a 3-pound, 7-ounce bass. Each angler received $77 for the catch.

Dennis Kolender of Henderson, Nev., landed the Divisional Points Championship and $1,000 with 1,168 points won during five regular season tournaments. Tyler Brinks of Henderson, Nev., landed the Co-Angler Points Championship and $500 with 1,149 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Colorado River Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 23-27 on Lake Shasta near Redding, Calif., where they will go up against top competitors from the Western divisions for a shot at qualifying for the BFL All-American, which features an estimated purse of $345,000 and ranks as one of the most lucrative post-season tournaments in competitive angling. The top two boaters and co-anglers may also qualify for the Ranger M1 tournament in Mobile, Ala., Feb. 27-March 2, 2002, where they can win up to $1 million.

Awards for the 2001 BFL season could reach $5.7 million based on full fields at each tournament.