WOODHAVEN, Mich. – Jim Wilson of Amherstburg, Ontario, topped 103 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League competitors Saturday on the Detroit River with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 9 ounces. The catch earned him $3,148 and 200 points in the Boater Division.
Wilson caught his limit using a green pumpkin tube. The catch topped second-place boater Brian Rand of Mattawan, Mich., by 1 pound, 10 ounces. Rand finished the one-day tournament with a five-bass catch weighing 19 pounds, 15 ounces worth $1,574. Rand also earned boater big-bass honors and $515 with a 5-pound, 2-ounce bass.
Cecil Cole of Durand, Mich. (five bass, 19 pounds, 9 ounces, $944); Clark Wolfe of Grove City, Ohio (five bass, 19 pounds, 8 ounces, $756); and Dick Shaffer of Celina, Ohio, (five bass, 19 pounds, $693) rounded out the top five boaters. Cole also received a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.
Rick Reedy of Barrington, Ill., claimed first place and $1,503 in the 96-competitor Co-angler Division with five bass weighing 19 pounds, 14 ounces. He surpassed second-place co-angler Jay Yoder of Grabill, Ind., by 2 pounds, 1 ounce thanks to a green pumpkin spider grub. Yoder finished with a five-bass catch weighing 17 pounds, 13 ounces worth $751.
Kurt Preibisch of Saint Clair Shores, Mich. (five bass, 17 pounds, 5 ounces, $451); Douglas Lepper of Union City, Mich. (five bass, 16 pounds, 9 ounces, $361); and Barry Baldwin of Dayton, Ohio, (five bass, 16 pounds, 6 ounces, $331) rounded out the top five co-anglers. Preibisch also earned big-bass honors and $240 in his division with a 4-pound, 9-ounce bass that he caught casting a white spinner bait to rocks.
The BFL will visit the Detroit River Sept. 14-15 for the Michigan Division’s final regular-season event, a two-day Super Tournament. The boater with the most points after the Super Tournament 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 Michigan Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition presented by Yamaha Oct. 15-19 on Kentucky Lake near Gilbertsville, Ky., where they will go up against top competitors from the Great Lakes, Hoosier and Illini divisions for a shot at qualifying for the Wal-Mart BFL All-American – one of the most lucrative postseason tournaments in competitive angling.
2002 BFL awards could reach $7 million based on full fields.
Sponsors of the 2002 BFL are Wal-Mart, ALPO Pet Foods, BC Powder, BFGoodrich Tires, Castrol, Chevy Trucks, 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, U.S. Bank, Weed Eater and Yamaha Outboards.