Draime wins Wal-Mart BFL Gulf Coast Division tourney

Jesse Draime of Long Beach, Miss., topped 50 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on Bay St. Louis with five bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him $1,981 and 200 points in the Boater Division. Angler: Jesse Draime.

April 13, 2002 • MLF • Archives

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. – Jesse Draime of Long Beach, Miss., topped 50 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on Bay St. Louis with five bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him $1,981 and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Draime caught his limit on a buzzbait while fishing grass. The catch topped second-place boater Darren Danise of Ocean Springs, Miss., by 5 ounces. Danise finished the one-day tournament with a five-bass catch weighing 10 pounds worth $990. He also earned boater big bass honors and $250 with a 3-pound, 8-ounce bass.

Ted Marodis of Biloxi, Miss. (five bass, 9 pounds, 13 ounces, $594); Chuck Koski of Biloxi, Miss. (five bass, 8 pounds, 9 ounces, $475); and Terry Lott of Ocean Springs, Miss., (four bass, 8 pounds, 5 ounces, $436) rounded out the top five boaters.

Gary Brown of Gautier, Miss., received a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. He finished seventh with a five-bass catch weighing 7 pounds, 4 ounces.

Everett Culpepper of Purvis, Miss., claimed first place and $990 in the 50-competitor Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 10 pounds, 6 ounces. He surpassed second-place co-angler Michael Miller of Meridian, Miss., by 2 pounds, 9 ounces. Miller finished with a four-bass catch weighing 7 pounds, 13 ounces worth $495.

Morgan Brown of Mobile, Ala. (four bass, 7 pounds, 9 ounces, $297); William Hill of Gulfport, Miss. (five bass, 6 pounds, 15 ounces, $238); and Josh Williams of Moss Point, Miss., (three bass, 6 pounds, 14 ounces, $218) rounded out the top five co-anglers. Brown earned co-angler big bass honors and $125 with a 3-pound, 13-ounce bass.

Overall, 17 five-bass limits were caught during the tournament.

The Wal-Mart BFL will visit the Tensaw River May 18 for the fourth of five Gulf Coast Division events. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 28-29 on the Pearl River, 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 Gulf Coast 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 Louisiana, Okie and Ozark 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.