Owens wins Wal-Mart BFL LBL Division tournament - Major League Fishing

Owens wins Wal-Mart BFL LBL Division tournament

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Walter Owens of Elizabethtown, Ky., topped 108 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors June 15 on Kentucky and Barkley lakes.
June 15, 2002 • MLF • Archives

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Walter Owens of Elizabethtown, Ky., topped 108 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on Kentucky and Barkley lakes with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 14 ounces. The catch earned him $3,228 and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Owens caught his limit on a green pumpkin jig near Kentucky Dam and in Blood River. The catch topped second-place boater David Young of Mayfield, Ky., by 2 pounds, 5 ounces. Young finished the one-day tournament with a five-bass catch weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces worth $1,614.

Ronnie Grant of Columbia, Ky. (five bass, 15 pounds, 15 ounces, $968); Ray Barga of Gilbertsville, Ky. (five bass, 15 pounds, 9 ounces, $775); and Ramie Colson Jr. of Cadiz, Ky., (four bass, 15 pounds, 4 ounces, $710) rounded out the top five boaters.

Colson earned boater big bass honors and $540 with a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass that he caught while working bays in Barkley Lake. Young received a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Kenneth Bucy of Murray, Ky., claimed first place and $1,614 in the 108-competitor Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 7 ounces. He surpassed second-place co-angler Doug Aebersold of Louisville, Ky., by 4 pounds, 2 ounces thanks to a green pumpkin jig he fished between Kentucky Dam and Blood River. Bucy also earned big bass honors and $540 in his division with a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass. Kenneth Bucy of Murray, Ky., claimed first place in the 108-competitor Co-angler Division on June 15 on Kentucky and Barkley lakes.

Aebersold finished with a five-bass catch weighing 12 pounds, 5 ounces worth $807.

Wes Garrison of Louisville, Ky. (four bass, 10 pounds, 9 ounces, $484); Thomas Higdon of Owensboro, Ky. (three bass, 10 pounds, $387); and Ben Johnson of Boaz, Ky., (three bass, 9 pounds, 15 ounces, $355) rounded out the top five co-anglers.

Overall, 14 five-bass limits were caught during the tournament.

The Wal-Mart BFL will visit Kentucky and Barkley lakes July 13 for the fourth of five LBL Division events. The boater with the most points after the division’s season finale, a two-day Super Tournament Sept. 14-15 on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes, 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 LBL Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition presented by BC Powder Oct. 29-Nov. 2 on Wheeler Lake near Rogersville, Ala., where they will go up against top competitors from the Bulldog, Music City and Shenandoah 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.

Sponsors of the 2002 Wal-Mart BFL are Wal-Mart, ALPO Pet Foods, BC Powder, BFGoodrich Tires, Castrol, Chevy Trucks, Coleman, Conseco, Energizer, EverStart Batteries, Evinrude, Faded Glory, Frito-Lay, FujiFilm, Garmin, Kellogg’s, Land O’Lakes, Minn Kota, Newell Rubbermaid, Pepsi, Poulan, Ranger Boats, Shop-Vac, Snickers, Stanley Works, Stren, US Bank, Weed Eater and Yamaha Outboards. Associate sponsors are Abu Garcia, Berkley, Eagle Claw, Hover-Lure, Laker, Maxwell House, Plano and Solar Bat.