Pernell places first at BFL event on Percy Priest Lake

SMYRNA, Tenn. – Boater Jason Pernell of White Bluff earned $3,816 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Music City Division event on Percy Priest Lake. The tournament was the first of five regular-season Music City Division events and featured 120 boaters vying for the win, which earned Pernell 200 points in the Boater Division.

Pernell’s winning catch of five bass weighed 19 pounds, 7 ounces. He threw a jig on a spinning reel in 6-8 feet of water.

Finishing second was Jarrod Simon of Hendersonville with four bass weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces that earned him $1,908. David Barnett of Murfreesboro claimed $1,249 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces. In fourth was Terry Steele of Sparta, with five bass weighing 14 pounds worth $971, and finishing fifth and earning $798 was Scott Lefevers of Mount Juliet, with four bass weighing 13 pounds, 13 ounces.

Tim Staley of Dowelltown took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $600 for a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a Shad Rap in shallow water.

Michael Penix of Lewisburg earned $500 as the Ranger Cup Award winner.

Clifford Wellman of Antioch earned $1,732 as the co-angler winner, thanks to three bass weighing 9 pounds, 12 ounces that he caught on a black finesse worm in deep water near the dam. Wellman also earned $263 for winning the co-angler big-bass award with a 7-pound, 3-ounce bass.

Tied for second were Curtis Cline of Westmoreland (two bass, 8 pounds, 14 ounces, $716) and Ken Mayes of Cookeville (four bass, 8 pounds, 14 ounces, $716). Jason Larkin of Cottontown finished in forth and earned $441 with two bass weighing 7 pounds, 15 ounces. Finishing in fifth and earning $362 was Rorey Halliburton of Sparta with two bass weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces.

The Music City Division’s next event will be held April 9 on Center Hill Lake near Silverpoint, followed by an event on Kentucky Lake near Paris May 21. The fourth qualifying event will be held on Old Hickory Lake near Gallatin June 18. The Music City Division will wrap up its regular season Oct. 1-2 with a two-day Super Tournament also held on Old Hickory Lake near Gallatin.

Following the regular season, the Music City Division 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 Music City Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kerr Lake Regional near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 18-22 where they will compete against Empire, Mountain and Northeast 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.