Gaudet wins Wal-Mart BFL Louisiana Division tournament

BATON ROUGE, La. – Sandy Gaudet of Belle Rose, La., topped 63 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on the Belle River with five bass weighing 11 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him $2,293 and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Gaudet’s catch topped second-place boater Howard Hartley of Berwick, La., by 3 ounces. Hartley finished the one-day tournament with a five-bass catch weighing 11 pounds, 9 ounces worth $1,146.

Kevin Voisin of Morgan City, La. (five bass, 10 pounds, 10 ounces, $688); Doug Bickley of Baton Rouge, La. (five bass, 10 pounds, 5 ounces, $527); and Ted Eichin of New Orleans, La., (five bass, 10 pounds, 5 ounces, $527) rounded out the top five boaters.

Keith Poirrier of La Fayette, La., earned boater big bass honors and $315 with a 4-pound, 7-ounce bass. He finished in 14th place overall with three bass weighing 8 pounds, 10 ounces.

Wrenwick Drexler of Jeanerette, La., received a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. He finished sixth with a five-bass catch weighing 10 pounds.

Keith Keele of Center, Texas, claimed first place and $1,146 in the 63-competitor Co-angler Division with four bass weighing 9 pounds, 6 ounces. He surpassed second-place co-angler Vic Riveras of Metairie, La., by 4 ounces. Riveras finished with a four-bass catch weighing 9 pounds, 2 ounces worth $573.

Don Erwin of Zachary, La. (four bass, 8 pounds, 4 ounces, $344); Brent Miller of Slidell, La. (two bass, 7 pounds, 6 ounces, $275); and Josh Stanford of Washington, La., (three bass, 5 pounds, 15 ounces, $252) rounded out the top five co-anglers.

Co-angler Paul Carmouche of Baton Rouge, La., earned big bass honors and $157 in his division with a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass. He finished seventh thanks to the one bass.

Overall, 10 five-bass limits were caught during the tournament.

The Wal-Mart BFL will visit Atchafalaya Basin May 18 for the fourth of five Louisiana Division events. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 21-22 on Bayou Black, will be declared the Yamaha “Be the Best” Points Leader and awarded $1,000. The co-angler amassing the most points by the end of the season will receive $500.

The top 30 Louisiana Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition Oct. 29-Nov. 2 on Lake Hamilton near Hot Springs, Ark., where they will go up against top competitors from the Okie, Ozark and Gulf Coast divisions for a shot at qualifying for the Wal-Mart BFL All-American – one of the most lucrative post-season tournaments in competitive angling.

2002 BFL awards could reach $7 million based on full fields.