Stewart grabs BFL win on DeGray Lake

ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Boater Jack Stewart of Hot Springs, Ark., earned $5,197 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division event on DeGray Lake. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Arkie Division events and featured 162 boaters vying for the win, which earned Stewart 200 points in the Boater Division.

Stewart’s winning catch of five bass weighed 18 pounds, 5 ounces. He was fishing grass lines in about 18 feet of water, pitching a 1-ounce jig in the main lake.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Greg Dyer of Benton, Ark. (five bass, 17 pounds, 15 ounces, $2,598); Kevin Hartman of Conway, Ark. (five bass, 16 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,733); Jim Cummings of Murfreesboro, Ark. (five bass, 13 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,213) and in fifth place were John Cathcart of Alexander, Ark., and Steve Reagan of Sheridan, Ark. (five bass, 12 pounds, 10 ounces, $996).

Dyer also took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $810 for a 7-pound, 5-ounce bass.

Revel Passmore of Vilonia, Ark., won the Co-angler Division to earn $2,566 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 16 pounds, 1 ounce that he caught while throwing a Carolina rig in shallow grass.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Greg Mullins of Glenwood, Ark. (four bass, 13 pounds, 1 ounce, $1,283); Derek Sirmon of Van Buren, Ark., (five bass, 12 pounds, 8 ounces, $855); Chris Rice of Dyersburg, Tenn., (five bass, 12 pounds, 5 ounces, $599) and Bryan Fox of Hot Springs, Ark. (five bass, 12 pounds, 2 ounces, $513).

Tony Torres of Anderson, Mo., earned $400 as the co-angler big-bass award winner, thanks to a 7-pound, 8-ounce bass.

The Arkie Division’s next event will be held May 6 on Greers Ferry Lake near Greers Ferry, Ark., followed by an event on Lake Dardanelle near Russellville, Ark., June 17. The Arkie Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 30-Oct-1 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Hamilton near Hot Springs, Ark.

Following the regular season, the Arkie 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 Arkie Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Wright Patman Lake Regional Championship near Texarkana, Texas, Oct. 19-21 where they will compete against Cowboy, Louisiana and Okie 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.