Rhoden wins Arkie Division event on Greers Ferry

GREERS FERRY, Ark. – Brandon Rhoden of Sheridan earned $3,853 Saturday as winner of the third regular-season Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division event, held on Greers Ferry Lake near Greers Ferry. He caught five bass weighing 12 pounds, 9 ounces to claim the win and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Rhoden caught his tournament-winning bass on a buzzbait. He also earned $695 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner thanks to a 3-pound, 13-ounce bass.

Tied for second were Larry Boley of Dover and Ryan Williams of Conway. Both anglers caught five bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces that earned each of them $1,618. In fourth was Keith Green of Arkadelphia with five bass weighing 9 pounds, 15 ounces that earned him $1,002, and finishing fifth was Jamey Black of Sheridan with a five-bass catch weighing 9 pounds, 13 ounces worth $848.

Eddie Woody of North Little Rock earned a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, and he also earned another $250 from Yamaha because his boat is powered by a Yamaha outboard.

Charles Swain of Vilonia claimed $1,873 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a four-bass catch weighing 10 pounds, 12 ounces that he caught in the upper end of the lake in buck brush in 1 to 3 feet of water.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Evan Webster of Little Rock (five bass, 8 pounds, 8 ounces, $937); Brian Coleman of Delaware (five bass, 8 pounds, 5 ounces, $637); Lee Anderson of Conway (four bass, 8 pounds, 2 ounces, $487); and Jim Carothers of Pine Bluff (five bass, 7 pounds, 5 ounces, $412).

Josh Tittle of Lake Village earned $333 as the big-bass winner in the Co-angler Division with a 3-pound, 13-ounce bass.

The Arkie Division’s next stop will be June 19 on the Arkansas River in Russellville, and the regular season will come to a close Sept. 25-26 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs.

Following the regular season, the top 30 boaters and 30 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 anglers from the Louisiana, Okie and Ozark 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 Arkie 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.