Staley wins Music City Division event on Old Hickory Lake

GALLATIN, Tenn. – Tim Staley of Dowelltown earned $3,330 Saturday as winner of the third regular-season Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Music City Division event, held on Old Hickory Lake near Gallatin. He caught four bass weighing 13 pounds, 1 ounce to claim the win and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Staley caught his tournament-winning bass on a floating worm and a jig. He also earned a $1,000 bonus from Bombardier for using an Evinrude Direct Injection outboard.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Sam Lashlee of Camden (four bass, 10 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,665); Josh Tramel of Smithville (five bass, 10 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,132); Larry Isham of Hendersonville (five bass, 10 pounds, 3 ounces, $866); and Steve Greene of Antioch (four bass, 10 pounds, 1 ounce, $732).

Chad Lannom of Mount Juliet 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. Joseph Rahuba of Gallatin earned $570 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass he caught on a 3/8-ounce black and blue jig.

Ronald Seals of Gallatin claimed $1,665 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a two-bass catch weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces that he caught on a 3/8-ounce jig and a 4-inch centipede. This is his first season to compete in the BFL.

Finishing second was Mark Menz of Bethpage with two bass weighing 5 pounds, 9 ounces worth $832. Tied for third were Kevin Lamb of Gallatin (three bass) and Chris Langford of Cookeville (two bass). Both anglers caught 5 pounds, 5 ounces worth of bass to earn $499 each. Kain Shelton of Donelson finished fifth with a two-bass catch weighing 4 pounds, 14 ounces worth $366.

Mike Twitty of Mount Juliet took co-angler big-bass honors and $285 with a 4-pound, 11-ounce bass he caught on a jig.

The Music City Division’s next stop will be June 19 on Kentucky and Barkley lakes in Paris, and the regular season will come to a close Sept. 18-19 with a two-day Super Tournament on Old Hickory Lake in Gallatin.

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 Seminole 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 Music City 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.