WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Frank Poirier, 44, of Hopewell, Va., topped 198 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on the Potomac River with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him $4,986 and 200 points in the Boater Division.
Poirier caught his limit on Berkley Power Tubes while flipping and sight fishing in grass. The catch topped second-place boaters Hank Dawson of Marshall, Va., and Kelly Pratt of Williamsburg, Va., by 13 ounces.
Dawson and Pratt finished the one-day tournament tied for second with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 12 ounces worth $1,994. Dawson also received a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.
Tony Woodard of Four Oaks, N.C. (five bass, 15 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,197) and Rodney Glunt of Dumfries, Va., (five bass, 15 pounds, 10 ounces, $997) rounded out the top five boaters.
Michael Hall of Annandale, Va., earned boater big bass honors and $990 with a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass that he caught on a Carolina-rigged lizard. He finished in 10th place with four bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces.
Truman White, 35, of Myersville, Md., claimed first place and $2,493 in the 198-competitor Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces. He surpassed second-place co-angler Stephen Semelsberger of Mt. Airy, Md., by 3 ounces. Semelsberger finished with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 10 ounces worth $1,247.
Christopher Fabrizio of Kernersville, N.C. (five bass, 12 pounds, 1 ounce, $673); Kevin Spessard of Hagerstown, Md. (five bass, 12 pounds, 1 ounce, $673); John Parson of Boonesmill, Va., (four bass, 11 pounds, 8 ounces, $498); and Donald Smith of Woodbridge, Va., (four bass, 11 pounds, 8 ounces, $498) rounded out the top five co-anglers.
Co-anglers Giles Farris of Roanoke, Va., and John Beaver of Sterling, Va., tied for big bass honors with a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass each. Both anglers received $247 for their bass.
Overall, 38 five-bass limits were caught during the tournament.
The Wal-Mart BFL will visit Kerr Lake June 29 for the third of five Shenandoah Division events. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 21-22 on the Potomac 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 Shenandoah Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition presented by B.C. Powder Oct. 29-Nov. 2 on Wheeler Lake near Rogersville, Ala., where they will go up against top competitors from the Bulldog, LBL and Music City 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.