Porto wins BFL Super Tournament on Atchafalaya Basin

Boater Chad Porto of Donaldsonville, La., caught 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 13 ounces to win the BFL Louisiana Division Super Tournament, held Sept. 13-14 on the Atchafalaya Basin near Belle River. Angler: Chad Porto.

September 14, 2003 • MLF • Archives

BELLE RIVER, La. – Chad Porto of Donaldsonville caught 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 13 ounces to win $4,633 at the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Louisiana Division Super Tournament, held this weekend on the Atchafalaya Basin near Belle River. Porto bested 92 Boater Division competitors and earned 300 points at the tournament, which was the fifth and final Louisiana Division event of the regular season.

Porto caught five bass Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces to finish second on day one and followed that up Sunday with another five bass weighing 11 pounds, 10 ounces to earn the win.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Doug Bickley of Baton Rouge (10 bass, 24 pounds, 13 ounces); Will Major of Port Allen (nine bass, 21 pounds, 4 ounces); Scott Buxton of Napoleonville (eight bass, 21 pounds, 1 ounce); and Chad Collins of Sunset (nine bass, 19 pounds, 13 ounces).

Buxton claimed a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. He also claimed $620 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 6-pound bass.

Bill McCarty of Morgan City led 92 Co-angler Division competitors on day two to claim $2,316 as the Super Tournament co-angler winner. He caught four bass Saturday weighing 9 pounds, 13 ounces to finish third and followed that up Sunday with another three bass weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces to earn the win. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a watermelon Brush Hog.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Chuck Major of Morganza (six bass, 13 pounds, 11 ounces); Matt Lipari of Patterson (four bass, 9 pounds, 13 ounces); Chris Achee of Lafayette (five bass, 9 pounds); and Gary Paline of Watson (four bass, 8 pounds, 3 ounces).

Lipari took co-angler big-bass honors and $310 with a 4-pound, 7-ounce bass.

Doug Bickley of Baton Rouge is the Louisiana Division’s Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, winning $1,000 for the 1,056 points he earned during five regular-season tournaments. Gary Fields of Donaldsville is the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division. He earned $500 for his division-leading 1,033 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Louisiana Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 7-11 on Lake Eufaula near Eufaula, Ala., where they will go up against top competitors from the Mississippi, Music City and Savannah River divisions for a shot at qualifying for the BFL All-American, one of the most lucrative postseason tournaments in competitive angling.

The BFL comprises 24 divisions nationwide, each featuring five regular-season events that lead to one of six regionals. Four of the regular-season tournaments are one-day events, while the final event, a Super Tournament, is a two-day tournament that will award as much as $70,950 to participating anglers. Anglers who enter all five regular-season events in a division but do not advance to a regional may enter the Chevy Trucks Wild Card for a shot at qualifying for the All-American. The All-American field comprises 84 competitors – six boaters and six co-anglers from six regionals plus six boaters and six co-anglers from the Wild Card.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Each year the top 30 boaters and co-anglers from each BFL division are eligible to advance to the EverStart Series, and the All-American champions are eligible for Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition. The top 15 pros and co-anglers from the Central, Eastern and Northern divisions of the EverStart Series (top 10 from the Western Division) are eligible to advance to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Chevy pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.