Stringer outfishes field at BFL event on Lake Cumberland

MONTICELLO, Ky. – Boater Michael Stringer of Monticello earned $4,795 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Mountain Division event on Lake Cumberland. The tournament was the first of five regular-season Mountain Division events and featured 163 boaters vying for the win, which earned Stringer 200 points in the Boater Division.

Stringer’s winning catch of five bass weighed 16 pounds, 7 ounces. Stringer caught his bass while slow-rolling a spinnerbait near Beaver Creek.

Finishing second was Johnny Crase of Lexington with four bass weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces that earned him $2,398. Crase earned an additional $500 as winner of the Ranger Cup award. Curtis Hall of Florence and Brad Roberts of Nancy each claimed $1,393 with a tie third-place finish. Hall caught five bass weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces. Roberts caught four bass weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces. Finishing fifth and earning $1,003 was Jason Nichols of Knoxville, Tenn., with five bass weighing 13 pounds, 2 ounces.

Craig Delk of Stanford took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $815 for a 6-pound, 15-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a jerkbait.

Trent Norman of Cincinnati earned $2,330 as the co-angler winner, thanks to four bass weighing 9 pounds that he caught on a Silver Buddy Blade.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jeff Caldwell of Mt. Sterling (two bass, 8 pounds, 11 ounces, $1,165); Thomas Barnwell of Middlesboro (two bass, 6 pounds, 10 ounces, $764); Joe Lockard of Bronston (three bass, 6 pounds, 7 ounces, $593); and Timmy Ray Robinson of Pikeville (two bass, 6 pounds, 5 ounces, $487).

In addition, Caldwell earned $393 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass he caught on a jig.

The Mountain Division’s next event will be held April 16 on Lake Douglas near Dandridge, Tenn., followed by an event on Dale Hollow Lake near Byrdstown, Tenn., May 14. The fourth-qualifying event will be held June 18 on the Barren River near Scottsville. The Mountain Division will wrap up its regular season Oct. 1-2 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Cherokee near Morristown, Tenn.

Following the regular season, the Mountain 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 Mountain 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, Northeast, and Music City 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.