Thompson takes top slot at BFL event on Potomac River - Major League Fishing

Thompson takes top slot at BFL event on Potomac River

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Boater Joseph Thompson of Ridley Park, Pa., earned $3,596 as winner of the Bass Fishing League Northeast Division event on the Potomac River. Angler: Joseph Thompson.
May 14, 2005 • MLF • Archives

MARBURY, Md. – Boater Joseph Thompson of Ridley Park, Pa., earned $3,596 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Northeast Division event on the Potomac River. The tournament was the first of five regular-season Northeast Division events and earned Thompson 200 points in the Boater Division.

Thompson’s winning catch of five bass weighed 18 pounds, 7 ounces. Thompson was fishing around grass with a Senko when he caught his bass.

Finishing second was Mike Hoskings of Dumfries, Va., with five bass weighing 18 pounds that earned him $1,798. Timothy Hagerich of Carlisle, Pa., claimed $1,177 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 16 pounds, 11 ounces. In fourth was Ryan Park of Elizabethtown, Pa., with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces worth $915, and finishing fifth and earning $752 was Jeff Stoner of Wellsville, Pa., with five bass weighing 16 pounds, 4 ounces.

Edward Trovato of Johnstown, Pa., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $545 for a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a crankbait.

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

Paul Winters of Niskayuna, N.Y., earned $1,798 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 12 pounds, 14 ounces that he caught on a crankbait.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Andy Miller of Burlington, N.J. (five bass, 12 pounds, 13 ounces, $899); Jacob Kupselaitis of Wall, N.J. (five bass, 12 pounds, 8 ounces, $587); Ted Morris of Malaga, N.J. (four bass, 11 pounds, 12 ounces, $458); and Harold Bardroff of Lyndhurst, N.J. (five bass, 11 pounds, 9 ounces, $376).

Larry Dupere of Ashville, N.Y., earned $273 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass he caught on a Senko.

The Northeast Division’s next event will be held June 25 on the Chesapeake Bay near North East followed by an event on the Hudson River near Catskill, N.Y., July 23. The fourth-qualifying event will be held on the Potomac River near Marbury July 27. The Northeast Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 17-18 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Hopatong near Cedar Knolls, N.J.

Following the regular season, the Northeast 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 Northeast 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 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.