Williamson wins BFL event on Clarks Hill Lake - Major League Fishing

Williamson wins BFL event on Clarks Hill Lake

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Boater Keith Williamson of Lincolnton, Ga., earned $4,840 as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division event on Clarks Hill Lake. Angler: Keith Williamson.
February 12, 2005 • MLF • Archives

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Boater Keith Williamson of Lincolnton earned $4,840 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division event on Clarks Hill Lake. The tournament was the first of five regular-season Savannah River Division events and featured 166 boaters vying for the win, which earned Williamson 200 points in the Boater Division.

Williamson’s winning catch of five bass weighed 18 pounds, 12 ounces. Williamson was fishing deep ditches with Zoom Flukes and Buckeye jigs.

Finishing second was Steve DeBord of Martinez with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces that earned him $2,420. Jason Buller of Thomson and Derrick Bridges of Greenville, S.C., tied for third place and each claimed $1,407 with five-bass limits weighing 17 pounds, 4 ounces. In fifth was Mike Guilbeau of Evans with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces worth $1,012.

Hans Cansler of Aiken, S.C., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $830 for a 9-pound, 3-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a white lead-head spinnerbait.

DeBord also won $500 as the highest finishing Ranger Cup participant.

Dale Samples of Greer, S.C., won the Co-angler Division to earn $2,345, thanks to five bass weighing 12 pounds, 1 ounce that he caught on a chartreuse and silver crankbait.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Audie Brantley of N. Augusta, S.C. (five bass, 11 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,173); Chandler Robinson of Pendleton, S.C., (three bass, 11 pounds, 2 ounces, $768); Bobby Thornton of Greer, S.C., (four bass, 10 pounds, 15 ounces, $597); and Jason Goff of Dewy Rose (four bass, 9 pounds, 5 ounces, $490).

Mike Simmons of Clyde, N.C., earned $395 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass.

The Savannah River Division’s next event will be held March 5 on Lake Russell near Elberton followed by an event on Lake Hartwell near Seneca, S.C., May 7 and an event on June 4 on Keowee Lake near Seneca, S.C. The Savannah River Division will wrap up its regular season Oct. 1-2 with a two-day Super Tournament on Clarks Hill Lake near Augusta, Ga.

Following the regular season, the Savannah River boater with the most points will earn $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler amassing the most points will earn $500 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion in the Co-angler Division.

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. The top 40 Savannah River Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Lake Martin Regional near Alexander City, Ala., Oct. 18-22 where they will compete against Everglades, Gator, and Mississippi Division anglers for one of six slots in the 2006 All-American. With a total purse of $1 million and a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing.

The $8.4 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 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.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.