Bridges wins Wal-Mart BFL Mississippi Division tourney

BRANDON, Miss. – Robert Bridges of Brandon, Miss., topped 122 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on Ross Barnett Reservoir with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him $3,504 and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Bridges, who also earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger as the highest finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, caught his limit on a spinner bait while fishing grass in about 2 feet of water. The catch topped second-place boater Shan Schoenrock of Carrollton, Ala., by 1 pound. Schoenrock finished the one-day tournament with a five-bass catch weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce worth $1,752.

Jason Frederick of Booneville, Miss. (four bass, 14 pounds, 10 ounces, $1,051); Will Dupler of Columbus, Miss. (five bass, 13 pounds, 10 ounces, $841); and Tommy McKnight of Kosciusko, Miss., (four bass, 13 pounds, 1 ounce, $771) rounded out the top five boaters.

Rick Pullen of Woodland, Miss., earned boater big bass honors and $610 with a 6-pound, 8-ounce bass. He finished in 27th place overall with two bass weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces.

Daniel White of Jackson, Miss., claimed first place and $1,723 in the 120-competitor Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces. He surpassed second-place co-angler Steve Duty of Collins, Miss., by 4 pounds, 11 ounces thanks to a 3/8-ounce white and chartreuse spinner bait he was fishing in shallow grass. Duty finished with a five-bass catch weighing 10 pounds, 8 ounces worth $862.

Jay Rogers of Memphis, Tenn. (four bass, 9 pounds, 1 ounce, $517); David Sims of Brandon, Miss. (four bass, 8 pounds, 6 ounces, $414); and Robbin Morris of West Point, Miss., (two bass, 7 pounds, 3 ounces, $379) rounded out the top five co-anglers.

Co-angler John Blythe of Memphis, Tenn., earned big bass honors and $300 in his division with a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass. He finished seventh overall with two bass weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces.

Overall, 15 five-bass limits were caught during the tournament.

The Wal-Mart BFL will visit Grenada Lake May 11 for the third of five Mississippi Division events. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 21-22 on Columbus Lake, 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 Mississippi Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition Oct. 22-26 on the Pearl River near Slidell, La., where they will go up against top competitors from the Arkie, Bama and Cowboy 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.