Landrum wins Wal-Mart BFL Mississippi Division tourney

Dennis Landrum of Clarksdale, Miss., topped 96 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on Grenada Lake with four bass weighing 10 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him $3,005 and 200 points in the Boater Division.

May 11, 2002 • MLF • Archives

GRENADA, Miss. – Dennis Landrum of Clarksdale, Miss., topped 96 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on Grenada Lake with four bass weighing 10 pounds, 10 ounces. The catch earned him $3,005 and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Landrum caught his limit on a white spinner bait that he was casting to trees and bushes in 2 feet of water. The catch topped second-place boater Robert Bridges of Brandon, Miss., by 1 pound, 13 ounces. Bridges finished the one-day tournament with a three-bass catch weighing 8 pounds, 13 ounces worth $1,503. He also earned a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Steve Hatch of Long Beach, Miss. (three bass, 8 pounds, 7 ounces, $902); Scott Mitchell of Greenwood, Miss. (three bass, 8 pounds, 5 ounces, $721); and Birch Bankston of Columbia, Miss., (three bass, 7 pounds, 12 ounces, $661) rounded out the top five boaters.

Alton Lackie of Germantown, Tenn., earned boater big bass honors and $480 with a 4-pound, 3-ounce bass that he caught on a spinner bait while fishing 3- to 4-foot deep water. He finished in 15th place thanks to the fish.

Joel Ross of Brandon, Miss., claimed first place and $1,503 in the 96-competitor Co-angler Division with two bass weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces. He surpassed second-place co-angler Jay Rogers of Memphis, Tenn., by 9 ounces thanks to a black and red tube that he was throwing to brush and sage grass in less than 3 feet of water. Rogers finished with a three-bass catch weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces worth $751.

Terry Stearns of Calvert City, Ky. (two bass, 5 pounds, 10 ounces, $451); Clifton Snell of Southaven, Miss. (two bass, 5 pounds, 7 ounces, $361); and Johnny Clark of Senatobia, Miss., (three bass, 4 pounds, 15 ounces, $331) rounded out the top five co-anglers.

Co-angler Phillip Bedwell of Yazoo City, Miss., earned big bass honors and $240 in his division with a 4-pound, 3-ounce bass. He finished seventh thanks to the fish.

The Wal-Mart BFL will visit Lake Ferguson June 15 for the fourth 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.