Foree wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Lake of the Ozarks
OSAGE BEACH, Mo. – Boater Mike Foree of Beaufort earned $4,734 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Ozark Division event on Lake of the Ozarks. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Ozark Division events and featured 185 boaters vying for the win, which earned Foree 200 points in the Boater Division.
Foree’s winning catch of five bass weighed 17 pounds, 4 ounces, and he caught them on a spinnerbait. He earned $1,000 from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, and he also earned another $1,000 from Garmin for using only Garmin electronics during the event.
Finishing second was Dan Schardischau of Lake Ozark with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 15 ounces that earned him $2,367. R.C. (Bob) Gordy of Galena claimed $1,610 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces. In fourth was Jackie Davis of Willard with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces worth $1,231, and finishing fifth and earning $1,041 was Jason Weast of Macks Creek with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 1 ounce.
Marty Bohlke Jr. of Grayslake, Ill., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $925 for a 6-pound bass. He caught his big bass on a worm.
James Marion of Tulsa, Okla., bested 184 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,354 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces that he caught on a Baby Brush Hog.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Joe Waggoner of Carthage (five bass, 13 pounds, 10 ounces, $1,177); Myles Nutter of Thedford, Neb. (five bass, 12 pounds, 4 ounces, $800); John Taylor of Springdale, Ark. (five bass, 11 pounds, 11 ounces, $612); and Chris Epstein of Owensville (four bass, 11 pounds, 8 ounces, $518).
Steve Bradfield of Claremore, Okla., earned $460 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass he caught on a chartreuse spinnerbait.
The Ozark Division’s next event will be held June 12 on Table Rock Lake near Kimberling City, followed by an event on Truman Lake in Clinton July 10. The Ozark Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 11-12 with a two-day Super Tournament on Table Rock Lake near Kimberling City.
Following the regular season, the Ozark Division boater with the most points will earn $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader. The co-angler amassing the most points will earn $500 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division.
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. The top 30 Ozark Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Toledo Bend regional near Many, La., Oct. 12-16, where they will compete against Arkie, Louisiana and Okie division anglers for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American. With a $100,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $50,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing.
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.