Smith wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Lay Lake

Boater Ricky Dale Smith (left) of Ohatchee, Ala., earned $5,796 March 18 as winner of the Wal-Mart BFL Dixie Division event on Lay Lake. Chris Basinger of Sylacauga, Ala., bested 189 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,898 as the co-angler winner. Anglers: Ricky D Smith, Chris Basinger.

March 18, 2006 • MLF • Archives

CLANTON, Ala. – Boater Ricky Dale Smith of Ohatchee, Ala., earned $5,796 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Dixie Division event on Lay Lake. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Dixie Division events and featured 189 boaters vying for the win, which earned Smith 200 points in the Boater Division.

Smith’s winning catch of five bass weighed 18 pounds, 4 ounces. He threw a blue and white jerkbait in 4 feet of water around current breaks to catch his bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Jamie Horton of Centerville, Ala. (five bass, 17 pounds, 9 ounces, $2,898); David Lowery of Columbus, Ga. (five bass, 16 pounds, 11 ounces, $1,934); Steve Hodges of Trussville, Ala. (five bass, 16 pounds, 10 ounces, $1,352) and Felton Langley of Lafayette, Ala. (five bass, 15 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,159).

Mark Stewart of Springville, Ala., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $945 for a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass he caught on a black and blue jig.

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

Chris Basinger of Sylacauga, Ala., bested 189 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,898 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 11 ounces that he caught while also fishing a jerkbait.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Greg Sessions of Pace, Fla. (five bass, 15 pounds, $1,449); Brian Roszell of Anniston, Ala., (five bass, 14 pounds, 6 ounces, $967) Bill White of Mount Olive, Ala., (five bass, 13 pounds, 1 ounce, $676) and Hal Murk of Sharpsburg, Ga., and Hank Tidd of Wetumpka, Ala., tied for fifth. Both co-anglers caught five bass weighing 13 pounds and earned $555.50.

Scott Curvin of Jacksonville, Ala., earned $472 as the co-angler big-bass award winner, thanks to a 6-pound bass.

Dixie Division anglers will next visit Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Ala., April 22 for their third regular-season event, followed by an event on West Point Lake in Lanett, Ala., May 20. A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on Logan Martin Lake in Pell City, Ala., Sept. 16-17. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse FLWOutdoors.com.

Following the regular season, the Dixie Division boater with the most points who advances farthest in the Wal-Mart BFL All-American will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler points champion who advances farthest will earn $5,000 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 Dixie Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Lake Chickamauga Regional Championship near Hixson, Tenn., Oct. 12-14 where they will compete against Bulldog, LBL and Music City division anglers for one of six slots in the 2007 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 $8.8 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.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, as well as the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006.

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.