BFL event on Lake Sinclair won by Brightwell - Major League Fishing

BFL event on Lake Sinclair won by Brightwell

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Boater Alan Brightwell of Moultrie, Ga., earned $4,446 as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division event on Lake Sinclair. Angler: Alan Brightwell.
March 12, 2005 • MLF • Archives

MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. – Boater Alan Brightwell of Moultrie earned $4,446 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division event on Lake Sinclair. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Bulldog Division events and featured 147 boaters vying for the win, which earned Brightwell 200 points in the Boater Division.

Brightwell’s winning catch of five bass weighed 20 pounds, 15 ounces. Brightwell fished a cove between some docks with a crankbait to catch his bass.

Finishing second was Benny Lanning of Covington with five bass weighing 18 pounds, 4 ounces that earned him $2,223. Kenny Holloway and Clay Batson, both of Eatonton, tied for third and claimed $1,293 each. Both anglers caught five bass weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces. Finishing fifth and earning $930 was Jerry McClure of Covington with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces.

Todd Tucker of Moultrie took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $735 for a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a crankbait.

Scott Hayes of Newnan won $750 as winner of the Ranger Cup award and the Powered by Yamaha award.

Stephen Twelkemeier of Marietta won $2,193 as the co-angler winner, thanks to four bass weighing 11 pounds, 4 ounces that he caught on a spinnerbait. Twelkemeier also earned $363 as the co-angler division big-bass award winner with a 7-pound, 6-ounce bass.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are George Goodman, Jr. of Monticello (two bass, 10 pounds, 9 ounces, $1,096); Clifford Avery of Bonaire (five bass, 10 pounds, 7 ounces, $715) and Darryl Johnson of Flowery Branch (four bass, 10 pounds, 2 ounces, $508). Marty Fuller of Hillsboro tied for fourth place with Johnson, (five bass, 10 pounds, 2 ounces, $508).

The Bulldog Division’s next event will be held April 16 on Lake Oconee near Madison, followed by an event on Lake Eufaula near Eufaula, Ala., May 7. The Bulldog Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 10-11 with a two-day Super Tournament on Clarks Hill Lake near Augusta.

Following the regular season, the Bulldog 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 Bulldog Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Lake Toho Regional near Kissimmee, Fla., Oct. 4-8 where they will compete against Bama, Seminole and South Carolina 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.