BOYDTON, Va. – Boater Division competitor Danny Haire of Yadkinville, N.C., earned $5,000 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division event on Kerr Lake in Boydton. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Piedmont Division events. The regular season will wrap up Sept. 18-19 with a two-day Super Tournament that will also be held on Kerr Lake.
Haire bested 200 competitors with a five-bass catch weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces. He fished an FLW Tour lizard on a Carolina rig around stumps. Along with the first-place prize, Haire caught a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass to win the Boater Division big-bass award and $1,000. In addition, he earned the $3,000 Ranger Cup bonus and $1,000 Garmin Grand award.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Larry Inman of Greensboro, N.C. (five bass, 14 pounds, 1 ounce, $2,500); Chris Dillow of Waynesboro (four bass, 14 pounds, $1,700); Cavin Young (five bass, 13 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,300); and Eddie Daniels of Garner, N.C. (four bass, 13 pounds, $1,100).
Tim Bragg of Hinton, W.Va., won the Co-angler Division with a five-bass catch weighing 11 pounds, 15 ounces. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a Fluke and worm and earned $2,505 for the win.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jeff Atkins of Danville (five bass, 11 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,253); Zach Peaslee of Pulaski (five bass, 10 pounds, 5 ounces, $852); George Smiley of Roanoke Rapids, N.C. (five bass, 10 pounds, $651); and David Betts of Raleigh, N.C. (three bass, 9 pounds, 10 ounces, $501).
Randy Buchanan of Bullock, N.C., caught a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass to win Co-angler Division big-bass honors and $498.
Following the regular season, the top 30 Piedmont Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Lake Seminole regional near Bainbridge, Ga., Oct. 5-9. They will compete against qualifying anglers from the Bama, Gator and Mississippi divisions for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American, one of competitive bass fishing’s most prestigious events. The winning boater at the All-American will take home $100,000 cash, and the winning co-angler will earn $50,000 cash.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded 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 Piedmont 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.
Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to fish the Chevy Trucks Wild Card for an All-American berth. Six nationwide regionals plus the Wild Card will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total field of 84 competitors.
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.