Griggs grabs BFL win on Kentucky Lake - Major League Fishing

Griggs grabs BFL win on Kentucky Lake

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Boater Tim Griggs of Paducah, Ky., earned $5,951 March 25 as winner of the BFL LBL Division event on Kentucky Lake. Angler: Tim Griggs.
March 25, 2006 • MLF • Archives

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Boater Tim Griggs of Paducah, Ky., earned $5,951 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League LBL Division event on Kentucky Lake. The tournament was the first of five regular-season LBL Division events and featured 197 boaters vying for the win, which earned Griggs 200 points in the Boater Division.

Griggs’ winning catch of five bass weighed 19 pounds, 13 ounces. He was fishing main-lake chunk-rock banks with a homemade jig and trailer. He earned an additional $1,000 as winner of the Bombardier Bonus award.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Terry Bolton of Paducah, Ky. (five bass, 16 pounds, 15 ounces, $2,976); Mike Terry of Troy, Tenn. (five bass, 16 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,984); Andy Hodges of Cadiz, Ky. (five bass, 16 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,389) and Drew Lynch of Paducah, Ky. (five bass, 16 pounds, 6 ounces, $1,190).

Scott Mason of Mayfield, Ky., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $985 for an 8-pound, 3-ounce bass.

P.J. Rorer of McKenzie, Tenn., bested 197 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,976 as the co-angler winner, thanks to two bass weighing 13 pounds, 4 ounces that he caught jerking a purple and chartreuse Smithwick Rogue. Rorer also earned $492 as the co-angler big-bass award winner, thanks to a 7-pound, 15-ounce bass.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mark Horton of Nicholasville, Ky. (five bass, 12 pounds, 11 ounces, $1,488); Brad Flowers of Mayfield, Ky., (five bass, 12 pounds, 1 ounce, $991) Phillip Haley of Auburn, Ky., (two bass, 8 pounds, 8 ounces, $694) and Paul Svec of Evansville, Ind. (two bass, 8 pounds, 3 ounces, $595).

All LBL Division tournaments are held on Kentucky/Barkley Lakes. The division’s next event will be held May 6 out of Kuttawa Harbor near Kuttawa, Ky., followed by an event out of Barkley Lodge State Park near Cadiz, Ky., May 20. The fourth event will be held June 24 out of Kenlake Marina and the LBL Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 16-17 with a two-day Super Tournament out of Kentucky Dam Marina near Gilbertsville, Ky.

Following the regular season, the LBL 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 LBL 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, Dixie 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. 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, 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.