Oleen wins Seminole Division event on Apalachicola River

WHITE CITY, Fla. – Kyle Oleen of Fort Walton Beach earned $2,828 Saturday as winner of the third regular-season Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Seminole Division event, held on the Apalachicola River near White City. He caught five bass weighing 16 pounds, 14 ounces to claim the win and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Oleen caught his tournament-winning bass on a Wave Worm in the mouths of creeks with moving water. The event was Oleen’s third career BFL tournament, and he claimed the win by a narrow 4-ounce margin.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Jerry Kelley of Wewahitchka (five bass, 16 pounds, 10 ounces, $1,414); Ira Forehand of Wewahitchka (five bass, 13 pounds, 14 ounces, $961); Robert Lawhon of Tallahassee (five bass, 13 pounds, 10 ounces, $735); and Allen Duke of Port St. Joe (five bass, 13 pounds, 3 ounces, $622).

Lawhon earned $500 from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, and he earned another $250 from Yamaha because his boat was powered by a Yamaha outboard. Leon Roy of Tallahassee claimed $430 as the Boater Division big-bass winner with a 7-pound, 5-ounce bass he caught on a crankbait.

Robert Dice of Perry claimed $1,414 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a five-bass catch weighing 11 pounds, 8 ounces that he caught on a 1/4-ounce black buzzbait. He also earned co-angler big-bass honors and $215 thanks to a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Frank Godwin Jr. of Bainbridge, Ga. (five bass, 10 pounds, 1 ounce, $707); Jerry Miller of Destin (five bass, 8 pounds, 12 ounces, $481); Donald Jenkins of Southport (two bass, 8 pounds, 9 ounces, $368); and Sam Kerswill of Silver Springs (five bass, 8 pounds, 5 ounces, $311).

The Seminole Division’s next stop will be June 5 on the St. Johns River in Palatka, and the regular season will come to a close Sept. 11-12 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Ga.

Following the regular season, the top 30 boaters and 30 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Columbus Pool regional near Columbus, Miss., Oct. 19-23, where they will compete against anglers from the Cowboy, Illini and Music City divisions for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American. With a $100,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in competitive 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 Seminole 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.