Gibbs victorious at Super Tournament on Grand Lake

GROVE, Okla. – Boater Chester Gibbs of Wagoner earned $4,953 Sunday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Okie Division Super Tournament event on Grand Lake.

Gibbs’ winning catch of eight bass weighed 25 pounds, 4 ounces. He threw a Bandit crankbait in 2 to 5 feet of water around rocks and points.

Finishing second was Keith Sedberry of Miami, with eight bass weighing 22 pounds, 4 ounces that earned him $2,417. Paul Smith of Copan claimed $1,179 as the third-place finisher thanks to eight bass weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces. In fourth was Al Fisher of Hackett, Ark., with eight bass weighing 18 pounds, 14 ounces worth $1,061, and finishing fifth and earning $943 was Chuck Lawless of Park Hill, with eight bass weighing 18 pounds, 5 ounces.

Smith also won the Ranger Cup Award worth $500.

Sedberry took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $820 for a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a Carolina-rigged Senko in 2 feet of water.

Erik Spence of Jay earned $2,476 as the co-angler winner, thanks to six bass weighing 12 pounds, 7 ounces that he caught on a spinnerbaits, crankbaits and soft plastics.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers were Mike Hesson of Ft. Smith, Ark. (five bass, 12 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,209); James Victory of Coweta (five bass, 12 pounds, 3 ounces, $590); John Stottlemyre of Edmond (seven bass, 11 pounds, 15 ounces, $531); and Mark Johnson of Henryetta (five bass, 9 pounds, 4 ounces, $472).

Jerry Corbett of Chouteau earned $410 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 3-pound, 9-ounce bass he caught on a shad-colored crankbait.

Keith Conley of Ponca City earned $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” Okie Division boater points champion. Marc Logan of Edmond won $500 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion in the Co-angler Division.

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 FLWOutdoors.com.

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.