Wolfarth wins BFL Super Tournament on Kerr Lake

HENDERSON, N.C. – Ronald Wolfarth of Locust caught nine bass weighing 30 pounds, 11 ounces to win $8,590 at the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division Super Tournament, held this weekend on Kerr Lake near Henderson. Wolfarth bested 169 Boater Division competitors and earned 300 points at the tournament, which was the fifth and final Piedmont Division event of the regular season.

Wolfarth caught four bass Saturday weighing 11 pounds, 10 ounces and caught another five weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce Sunday to win the event. Wolfarth also earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Chris Baldwin of Lexington (10 bass, 28 pounds, 15 ounces); Todd Sumner of Southern Pines (nine bass, 28 pounds, 15 ounces); Bob Williams Jr. of Rocky Mount (nine bass, 22 pounds, 7 ounces); and Sam Cole of Lexington (nine bass, 21 pounds, 8 ounces).

Cole also earned $1,690 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner thanks to a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass.

Melvin Jennings of Rustburg, Va., led 163 Co-angler Division competitors on day two to claim $4,186 as the Super Tournament co-angler winner. He caught one bass Saturday weighing 3 pounds, 9 ounces and followed that up Sunday with five more bass weighing 11 pounds, 15 ounces to earn the win with a two-day total of six bass weighing 15 pounds, 8 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Andy Campbell of Madison Heights, Va. (eight bass, 14 pounds, 15 ounces); Tracy King of Godwin (six bass, 13 pounds, 2 ounces); Rodney Stevens of Garner (five bass, 10 pounds, 8 ounces); and Gary Vick of Wilson (five bass, 9 pounds, 13 ounces).

Mark Finley of Palmyra, Va., took co-angler big-bass honors and $815 with a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass.

Scooter Lilley of Williamston is the Piedmont Division’s Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, winning $1,000 for the 1,018 points he earned during five regular-season tournaments. Finley is the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division. He earned $500 for his division-leading 1,008 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Piedmont 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 Mountain 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.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997.

FLW Outdoors and the Wal-Mart FLW Tour are named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.