Stegall wins Wal-Mart BFL Choo Choo Division tourney

Roger Stegall (left) of Iuka, Miss., topped 143 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on Pickwick Lake with four bass weighing 15 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him $3,911 and 200 points in the Boater Division. David Daily of Tuscumbia, Ala., claimed first place and $1,942 in the 142-competitor Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 12 ounces. Anglers: Roger Stegall, David Daily.

May 4, 2002 • MLF • Archives

FLORENCE, Ala. – Roger Stegall of Iuka, Miss., topped 143 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on Pickwick Lake with four bass weighing 15 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him $3,911 and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Stegall also earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program after topping second-place boater Ray Gresham of Florence Ala., by 1 pound, 4 ounces.

Gresham finished the one-day tournament with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces worth $1,956.
Paul Wilcoxson of Russellville, Ala. (five bass, 13 pounds, 9 ounces, $1,173); Ronnie Rector of Hoover, Ala. (five bass, 13 pounds, 7 ounces, $939); and Ralph Petty of Cleveland, Tenn., (five bass, 11 pounds, 8 ounces, $860) rounded out the top five boaters.

Scott Cleveland of Dallas, Ga., earned boater big bass honors and $715 with a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass. He finished in ninth place overall with four bass weighing 10 pounds, 6 ounces.

David Daily of Tuscumbia, Ala., claimed first place and $1,942 in the 142-competitor Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 12 ounces. He surpassed second-place co-angler Pat Lay of Cleveland, Tenn., by 3 pounds. Lay finished with a five-bass catch weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces worth $971.

Skeeter Collins of Vinemont, Ala. (four bass, 12 pounds, 3 ounces, $583); Jason Edgemon of Harvest, Ala. (four bass, 10 pounds, 9 ounces, $466); and Joseph Staley of Huntsville, Ala., (four bass, 10 pounds, 2 ounces, $427) rounded out the top five co-anglers.

Lay earned co-angler big bass honors and $355 with a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass.

Overall, 64 five-bass limits were caught during the tournament.

The Wal-Mart BFL will visit Neely Henry Reservoir June 15 for the fourth of five Choo Choo Division events. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 28-29 on Lake Guntersville, 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 Choo Choo Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition Oct. 22-26 on Lake Seminole near Bainbridge, Ga., where they will go up against top competitors from the Carolina, Gator and Piedmont 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.