Shaw takes top honors at BFL event on Fort Gibson Lake - Major League Fishing

Shaw takes top honors at BFL event on Fort Gibson Lake

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Boater Ron Shaw of Moore, Okla., earned $3,264 as winner of the Bass Fishing League Okie Division event on Fort Gibson Lake. Angler: Ron Shaw.
May 7, 2005 • MLF • Archives

SEQUOYAH, Okla. – Boater Ron Shaw of Moore earned $3,264 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Okie Division event on Ft. Gibson Lake. The tournament was the third of five regular-season Okie Division events and earned Shaw 200 points in the Boater Division.

Shaw’s winning catch of five bass weighed 16 pounds, 2 ounces. Shaw earned an additional $1,000 as winner of the Bombardier contingency award.

Finishing second was Sherman Nofire of Welling with three bass weighing 11 pounds, 5 ounces that earned him $1,632. Larry Rea of Stigler and Keith Conley of Ponca City tied for third and each claimed $949. Rea caught five bass weighing 10 pounds, 13 ounces and Conley caught four bass weighing 10 pounds, 13 ounces. Finishing fifth and earning $682 was Art Sutherland of Van Buren, Ark., with four bass weighing 10 pounds, 9 ounces.

Sutherland earned an additional $500 as winner of the Ranger Cup award.

Everett Eaton of Stillwater took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $480 for a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass.

Russ Reagan of Edmond earned $1,632 as the co-angler winner, thanks to three bass weighing 10 pounds, 15 ounces. Reagan earned an additional $240 as the co-angler big-bass award winner, thanks to a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Erik Spence of Jay (three bass, 10 pounds, 4 ounces, $816); James Marion of Tulsa (four bass, 7 pounds, 14 ounces, $534); Ryan Wilbanks of Wagoner (three bass, 6 pounds, 13 ounces, $415); and Larry Moore of Claremore (three bass, 5 pounds, 13 ounces, $341).

The Okie Division’s next event will be held June 4 on Grand Lake near Monkey Island. The Okie Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 17-18 with a two-day Super Tournament on Grand Lake near Grove.

Following the regular season, the Okie 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 Okie Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Lake Ouachita Regional near Hot Springs, Ark., Oct. 18-22 where they will compete against Cowboy, Louisiana, and Ozark 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.