Cone wins on Kentucky, Barkley lakes

KUTTAWA, Ky. – Boater Britt Cone of Benton, Ky., earned $6,000 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League LBL Division event on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. The tournament was the second of five regular-season LBL Division events and featured 200 boaters vying for the win, which earned Cone 200 points in the Boater Division.

Cone’s winning catch of five bass weighed 21 pounds, 9 ounces. He threw a Carolina-rigged, green pumpkin, Zoom Lizard on gravel banks to catch his bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Mike Sims of Paducah, Ky. (five bass, 20 pounds, 12 ounces, $3,000); Shawn Penn of Eddyville, Ky (five bass, 19 pounds, 15 ounces, $2,000); Crispin Powley of Lavergne, Tenn. (five bass, 18 pounds, $1,400) and Sam Lashlee of Camden, Tenn. (five bass, 17 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,200).

Charles Bartz of Germantown, Tenn., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $1,000 for a 7-pound bass.

Michael Edwards of White Bluff, Tenn., bested 200 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $3,000 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 16 pounds, 11 ounces that he caught while throwing a chartreuse and blue back crankbait in 12-14 feet of water.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Arthur Gilmore of Earlington, Ky. and Robert Maxey of Fishers, Ind. both tied for second (four bass, 14 pounds, 1 ounce, $1,250); James Backer of Henderson, Ky., (four bass, 13 pounds, 15 ounces, $700) and Chuck Rounds of Benton, Ky. (five bass, 13 pounds, 8 ounces, $600).

James Backer also earned $500 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass.

All LBL Division events are held on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes. The LBL Division’s next event will be held May 20 out of Barkley Lodge State Park near Cadiz, Ky., followed by and event on June 24 out of Kenlake Marina in Aurora, Ky. The divisions two-day Super Tournament will be held out of Kentucky Dam Marina near Gilbertsville, Ky. Sept. 16-17.

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.