Pearson wins BFL Super Tournament on Lake Wylie

Boater Larry Pearson of Cramerton, N.C., was the winner of the two-day, season-ending BFL Carolina Division Super Tournament on Lake Wylie. Angler: Larry Pearson.

September 19, 2004 • MLF • Archives

YORK, S.C. – Boater Larry Pearson of Cramerton, N.C., earned $7,368 Sunday as winner of the two-day, season-ending Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Carolina Division Super Tournament on Lake Wylie. His two-day total of 32 pounds, 9 ounces topped 135 fellow competitors in the Boater Division.

Pearson caught 19 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday to advance to Sunday’s competition, where he caught 13 pounds, 6 ounces to post the heaviest two-day weight and claim the win. Pearson also earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, and he also earned a $1,000 bonus from Garmin for using Garmin electronics exclusively during the event. This was his second top-10 finish of the season – he finished ninth on Santee Cooper in May.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Bryan Thrift of Shelby, N.C. (29 pounds, 7 ounces, $3,684); Britt Myers of Mount Holly, N.C. (26 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,995); Andy Montgomery of Grover, N.C. (25 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,688); and Keith Smith of York (25 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,381).

Patrick Tierney of Denver, N.C., earned $1,350 as the Boater Division big-bass winner thanks to a 5-pound, 14-ounce bass.

Jamie Denison of Winston-Salem, N.C., earned $3,512 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 18 pounds, 15 ounces. Denison has finished in the top 10 three times in 2004, his rookie season.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Charles Wood of Thomasville, N.C. (15 pounds, 11 ounces, $1,756); Jason Hawley of Charlotte, N.C. (15 pounds, 6 ounces, $951); Calvin Jones of Raeford, N.C. (15 pounds, 3 ounces, $805); and Edward Black II of Mount Holly, N.C. (14 pounds, 13 ounces, $658).

Ben Barrett of Lake Wylie claimed co-angler big-bass honors with a 4-pound, 14-ounce bass. He earned $625 for his big bass.

Each of the BFL’s 24 nationwide divisions features four one-day tournaments and one two-day Super Tournament within the regular season. In Super Tournament competition, the entire field competes on day one and the top 20 percent advances to day two, with the winners determined by the heaviest two-day catch weights. More money is awarded at Super Tournaments as well as more points that count toward year-end angler standings. In a Super Tournament, 300 points are awarded for first place, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on.

David Wright of Lexington, N.C., earned $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” boater points champion in the Carolina Division with 998 points for the season. Robert Parrish of Albemarle, N.C., earned Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion honors and $500 in the Co-angler Division. He earned 979 points this season.

The top 30 boaters and co-anglers in the Carolina Division will advance to the Kerr Lake regional, which will be held Oct. 5-9 in Henderson, N.C. There they will compete against qualifying anglers from the Buckeye, Northeast and Savannah River divisions for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American. The All-American awards a $100,000 cash prize to the winning boater and $50,000 to the winning co-angler, making it one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in competitive bass fishing.

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.