Pearson wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Lake Hartwell

Boater Larry Pearson of Cramerton, N.C., earned $4,199 April 8 as winner of the BFL South Carolina Division event on Lake Hartwell. Angler: Larry Pearson.

April 8, 2006 • MLF • Archives

SENECA, S.C. – Boater Larry Pearson of Cramerton, N.C., earned $4,199 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division event on Lake Hartwell. The tournament was the third of five regular-season South Carolina Division events and earned Pearson 200 points in the Boater Division.

Pearson’s winning catch of five bass weighed 20 pounds, 11 ounces. Pearson caught bedding bass in the middle of the Seneca River on a jig and a Chatterbait. Pearson earned an additional $585 as winner of the big-bass award, thanks to a 7-pound, 12-ouncer, and another $1,000 as winner of the Ranger Cup award.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Brock Taylor of Pendleton, S.C. (five bass, 18 pounds, 8 ounces, $2,100); Roger Medlock of Sullivans Island, S.C. (five bass, 18 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,398); Patrick Tierney of Denver, N.C. (five bass, 18 pounds, 1 ounce, $980) and Randy Childers of Anderson, S.C. (five bass, 17 pounds, 14 ounces, $840).

Samuel Smith of Lexington, N.C., earned $2,100 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 13 pounds, 6 ounces that he caught while fishing a Trick Worm.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Chuck Nubern of Starr, S.C. (five bass, 12 pounds, $1,050); Robert Byrdic of Lancaster, S.C., (five bass, 11 pounds, 15 ounces, $595) David Cunningham of Summerville, S.C., (five bass, 11 pounds, 15 ounces, $595) and Brandon Gray of Bullock, N.C. (five bass, 11 pounds, 11 ounces, $420).

Calvin Jones of Raeford, N.C., earned $292 as the co-angler big-bass award winner, thanks to a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass he caught on a green-pumpkin Zoom lizard.

The South Carolina Division’s next event will be held May 13 on Lake Wateree near Camden, S.C. The South Carolina Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 30-Oct. 1 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Wylie near Lake Wylie, S.C.

Following the regular season, the South Carolina 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 South Carolina Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kerr Lake Regional Championship near Henderson, N.C., where they will compete against Gator, Savannah River and Shenandoah 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.