Humbard takes top slot at Super Tournament on Lake Cherokee

MORRISTOWN, Tenn. – Boater Bill Humbard of New Market earned $5,716 Sunday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Mountain Division Super Tournament event on Lake Cherokee. The tournament earned Humbard 300 points in the Boater Division.

Humbard’s winning catch of nine bass weighed 28 pounds, 11 ounces. He threw a jig and pig on the lower end of the lake around rock piles to catch his bass.

Rounding out the top-five pros are Jason Nichols of Knoxville (nine bass, 26 pounds, 2 ounces, $2,790); Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky. (nine bass, 25 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,361); Bryant Ailor of Knoxville (10 bass, 24 pounds, 6 ounces, $1,225); and Ott Defoe of Dandrige (eight bass, 20 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,089).

George Lewis of Livingston, Ky., earned $1,060 as the big-bass award winner in the Boater Division with a 4-pound, 11-ounce bass.

Vernon Sowers of Richmond, Ky., earned $2,741 as the co-angler winner, thanks to 10 bass weighing 25 pounds, 14 ounces that he caught on a jig and pig.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jonathan Worley of Irvine, Ky. (10 bass, 15 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,338); Keith Farmer of New Market (five bass, 13 pounds, 15 ounces, $653); Richard Snowden of Berea, Ky. (five bass, 13 pounds, 5 ounces, $587); and Jim Blackerby of Lexington, Ky. (four bass, 13 pounds, 2 ounces, $522).

Brian Singleton of Stanford, Ky., earned $500 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass.

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.

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 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.