Wolfe wins season opener on Santee Cooper lakes

SUMMERTON, S.C. – The 2004 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Carolina Division season kicked off Saturday on the Santee Cooper lakes near Summerton, and Cecil Wolfe III of Goose Creek claimed the win thanks to a four-bass catch weighing 25 pounds, 2 ounces. He bested 200 Boater Division competitors to earn $5,000 and 200 points.

Wolfe caught his tournament-winning bass in Lake Moultrie on a crankbait. He is a BFL veteran who also competes in the EverStart Series Eastern Division. He has three career top-10 finishes in FLW Outdoors events, all of them on the Santee Cooper lakes.

Rounding out the top five pros are Lynn Langston of Bishopville (five bass, 24 pounds, 5 ounces, $2,500); Joey Sabbagha of Little Mountain (five bass, 23 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,700); Calvin Hewitt of Cope (five bass, 18 pounds, 1 ounce, $1,300); and David Goshorn of Harleyville (four bass, 15 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,100).

Sabbagha claimed Boater Division big-bass honors and $1,000 thanks to a 9-pound bass that he caught on a Rat-L-Trap. Sabbagha also earned $500 as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Ken Barnes of Elloree earned $2,500 as the Co-angler Division winner thanks to a four-bass catch that weighed 11 pounds. He edged past 200 Co-angler Division competitors thanks to a Rat-L-Trap that he fished in Lake Marion.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Harvey Harris of Lexington, N.C. (three bass, 10 pounds, 11 ounces, $1,250); Robert Parrish of Albemarle, N.C. (two bass, 10 pounds, 7 ounces, $850); Jonathan Yost of Suffolk, Va. (one bass, 10 pounds, 3 ounces, $650); and Michael Nicholson of Summerville (one bass, 8 pounds, 3 ounces, $550).

Yost earned $500 as the Co-angler Division big-bass winner with a 10-pound, 3-ounce bass that he caught on a Shad Rap.

The Carolina Division’s next stop will be March 27 on Lake Murray in Prosperity. Each BFL division features four one-day events followed by a two-day Super Tournament to round out the regular season. The top 30 Carolina Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kerr Lake regional near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 5-9, where they will compete against Buckeye, Northeast and Savannah River division anglers for a slot in the 2005 All-American. The winning boater at the All-American receives $100,000 cash, making it one of the most lucrative and prestigious championship events in bass fishing.

Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on. These points determine angler standings. The Carolina Division boater who amasses the most points at the end of the regular season will earn $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, and the co-angler earning the most points will earn $500 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division.

The $6.3 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 24 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired, with boaters supplying the boat and fishing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing from the back deck against other co-anglers. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

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. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com’s sponsor page.