Humbard takes title at BFL Super Tournament on Cherokee Lake

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. – Bill Humbard of New Market caught 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 1 ounce to win $6,431 at the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Mountain Division Super Tournament, held this weekend on Cherokee Lake near Morristown. Humbard bested 107 Boater Division competitors and earned 300 points at the tournament, which was the fifth and final Mountain Division event of the regular season.

Humbard caught five bass Saturday weighing 14 pounds, 15 ounces and caught another five weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces Sunday to win the event. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a crankbait and a 1/2-ounce jig.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Brian Holt of Newport (three bass, 28 pounds); Milton Hammons of Burgin, Ky. (10 bass, 27 pounds, 9 ounces); Mark Mauldin of Cleveland (10 bass, 27 pounds, 7 ounces); and Guy Siler of Rutledge (10 bass, 24 pounds, 13 ounces).

Brian Wilson of Somerset, Ky., earned a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. Chris Mitchell of Lexington, Ky., claimed $1,070 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass.

Donnie Holder of Mooresburg led 94 Co-angler Division competitors on day two to claim $2,999 as the Super Tournament co-angler winner. He caught three bass Saturday weighing 9 pounds, 12 ounces and followed that up Sunday with five bass weighing 12 pounds, 12 ounces to earn the win with a two-day total of eight bass weighing 22 pounds, 8 ounces. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a crankbait in the lower end of the lake.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Nathan Mountain of Rutledge (eight bass, 20 pounds, 6 ounces); Billy Gardner of Livingston (seven bass, 16 pounds, 1 ounce); Glen Rowe of Louisa, Ky. (six bass, 15 pounds, 7 ounces); and Douglas Burke Jr. of Castlewood, Va. (five bass, 14 pounds, 3 ounces).

William Castle of Abingdon, Va., took co-angler big-bass honors and $470 with a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass.

Kevin Powers of Unicoi is the Mountain Division’s Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, winning $1,000 for the 1,065 points he earned during five regular-season tournaments. Michael Powell Jr. of Cincinnati is the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division. He earned $500 for his division-leading 918 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Mountain Division will advance to regional competition presented by Yamaha Oct. 21-25 on Clarks Hill Lake near Thomson, Ga., where they will go up against top competitors from the Choo Choo, Gator and Piedmont 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.