Jones wins Great Lakes Division event on Wolf River Chain

WINNECONNE, Wis. – Jim Jones of Big Bend earned $4,291 Saturday as winner of the third regular-season Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division event, held on the Wolf River Chain near Winneconne. He caught five bass weighing 15 pounds, 14 ounces to claim the win and 200 points in the Boater Division.

Jones caught his tournament-winning bass on a tube in Wolf Creek. He has two other BFL top-10s on the Wolf River Chain, but this was his first BFL victory.

Rounding out the top four boaters are Clayton Reitz of Morton, Ill. (five bass, 14 pounds, 13 ounces, $2,145); Douglas Stanton of Winona, Minn. (three bass, 12 pounds, 4 ounces, $1,459); and Jerry Robackouski Jr. of Plainfield, Ill. (five bass, 11 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,116). Tied for fifth were Gary Schild of Mundelein, Ill., and Joe Sukowatey of Greendale. Both anglers caught five bass weighing 10 pounds, 7 ounces that earned each of them $858.

Reitz earned a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. Stanton earned Boater Division big-bass award honors and $815 with a 5-pound bass he caught on a Scum Frog.

Joe Woods of Fremont claimed $2,034 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a four-bass catch weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces that he caught on Scum Frog.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Dave Linton of Twin Lakes (five bass, 9 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,017); Don Bakken of Madison (five bass, 9 pounds, 7 ounces, $692); Brad Rubin of Mundelein, Ill. (five bass, 9 pounds, 3 ounces, $529); and Kevin Whitaker of West Chicago, Ill. (two bass, 8 pounds, 15 ounces, $448).

Whitaker earned co-angler big-bass honors with a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass he caught on a black tube. He earned $378 for his big bass.

The Great Lakes Division’s next stop will be Aug. 7 on the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien, and the regular season will come to a close Sept. 11-12 with a two-day Super Tournament on the Mississippi River in La Crosse.

Following the regular season, the top 30 boaters and 30 co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kentucky Lake regional presented by Yamaha near Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 12-16, where they will compete against anglers from the Choo Choo, Hoosier and Michigan 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 Great Lakes 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.