Naron wins BFL Super Tournament on Potomac River

Boater Bill Naron of Huntingtown, Md., was the winner of the two-day, season-ending BFL Shenandoah Division Super Tournament on the Potomac River. Angler: Bill Naron.

September 26, 2004 • MLF • Archives

WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Boater Bill Naron of Huntingtown, Md., earned $7,878 Sunday as winner of the two-day, season-ending Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division Super Tournament on the Potomac River. His two-day total of 26 pounds, 15 ounces topped 150 fellow competitors in the Boater Division.

Naron caught 11 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to advance to Sunday’s competition, where he caught 15 pounds, 13 ounces to post the heaviest two-day weight and claim the win. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a Berkley Power Worm. Naron also earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. This was his first career BFL victory.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Sean Stepp of Stafford (26 pounds, 9 ounces, $3,939); Grant Goldbeck of Gaithersburg, Md. (24 pounds, 9 ounces, $2,134); Tony Ebel of Davidsonville, Md. (23 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,805); and Eddie Griggs of Richmond (23 pounds, 10 ounces, $1,477).

Lee Costa Williams of Woodford earned $1,500 as the Boater Division big-bass winner, thanks to a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass he caught on a crankbait in the midlake area.

John Webster of Bowie, Md., earned $3,823 as winner of the Co-angler Division with a two-day total of 19 pounds, 12 ounces. He caught his bass on a Senko and a spinnerbait. This is his first season to fish the BFL.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Steve Thompson of Manassas (18 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,912); Bobby Martin of Manassas (17 pounds, 1 ounce, $1,035); Michael Muller of Mechanicsville (15 pounds, 12 ounces, $876); and Mark Letosky of Warrenton (13 pounds, 11 ounces, $717).

Alvin Dixon of Severn, Md., claimed co-angler big-bass honors with a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass he caught on a Berkley Power Worm. He earned $710 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.

Goldbeck earned $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” boater points champion in the Shenandoah Division with 1,000 points for the season. Bryan Nuckols of Frederick, Md., earned Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion honors and $500 in the Co-angler Division. He earned 975 points this season.

The top 30 boaters and co-anglers in the Shenandoah Division will advance to the Wheeler Lake regional, which will be held Oct. 19-23 in Rogersville, Ala. There they will compete against qualifying anglers from the Bulldog, LBL and Mountain 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.