Brunson wins Shenandoah Division event on Kerr Lake

BOYDTON, Va. – Spence Brunson of Salisbury, N.C., earned $4,543 Saturday as winner of the third regular-season Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division event, held on Kerr Lake near Boydton. He caught five bass weighing 11 pounds, 9 ounces to claim the win and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Brunson caught his tournament-winning bass on a deep cranking pattern. The win marked Brunson’s third career BFL victory.

Rounding out the top five boaters are David Cole of Chester (four bass, 10 pounds, 9 ounces, $2,272); Barton Wines of Marshall (five bass, 10 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,545); Lynn Fox of Gibsonville, N.C. (five bass, 10 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,181); and Frank Poirier of Hopewell (four bass, 9 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,000).

Cole earned a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, and because his boat is powered by a Yamaha outboard, he also earned $250 from Yamaha. Aaron Bussard of Clayton, N.C., collected $800 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner, thanks to a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass.

Brandon Stapleton of Keller claimed $2,158 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a five-bass catch weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces that he caught on a Carolina rig around deep rock piles.

Rounding out the top four co-anglers are Randy Waterman of Keysville (four bass, 8 pounds, $1,079); David Powroznik of Prince George (four bass, 7 pounds, 14 ounces, $734); and Mark Whitman of Elon College, N.C. (three bass, 7 pounds, 5 ounces, $561). Tied for fifth were John Murphy of Chesterfield and Bill Dibble of Dinwiddie. Both anglers caught three bass that weighed 6 pounds, 15 ounces to earn $432 each.

Keith Ruley of Lexington caught a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass on a Hawg Caller to earn $410 as the big-bass award winner in the Co-angler Division.

The Shenandoah Division’s next stop will be July 17 on the James River in Richmond, and the regular season will come to a close Sept. 25-26 with a two-day Super Tournament on the Potomac River in Woodbridge.

Following the regular season, the top 30 boaters and 30 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Wheeler Lake regional near Rogersville, Ala., Oct. 19-23, where they will compete against anglers from the Bulldog, LBL and Mountain 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 Shenandoah 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.