McDonald wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Potomac River

Boater Mike McDonald of Randleman, N.C., earned $5,133 May 6 as winner of the BFL Shenandoah Division event on the Potomac River. Angler: Mike McDonald.

May 6, 2006 • MLF • Archives

WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Boater Mike McDonald of Randleman, N.C., earned $5,133 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division event on the Potomac River. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Shenandoah Division events and featured 160 boaters vying for the win, which earned McDonald 200 points in the Boater Division.

McDonald’s winning catch of five bass weighed 19 pounds, 15 ounces. He was casting a Texas-rigged Brush Hog into grass beds in 3 to 5 feet of water to catch his bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Geoffrey Hill of Salem, Va. (five bass, 19 pounds, 13 ounces, $2,566); Flash Butts of Roanoke Rapids, N.C. (five bass, 19 pounds, 4 ounces, $1,710); Doug Grubbs of Woodbridge, Va. (five bass, 19 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,198) and Boogie Atkins of Greenville, Va. (five bass, 19 pounds, 2 ounces, $1,027).

Doug Grubbs also took the Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $800 for a 6-pound, 8-ounce bass.

Brent Chapman of Union Hall, Va., bested 160 competitors to earn $2,566 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 17 pounds, 8 ounces. Chapman also took the co-angler division big-bass honors with a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass earning him an additional $400.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Justin Lynch of Chesterfield, Va. (five bass, 17 pounds, 1 ounces, $1,238); Gee Kim of Fairfax, Va., (five bass, 16 pounds, 10 ounces, $855) Ronald Miller of Ruther Glen, Va., (five bass, 16 pounds, $599) and Michael Mayhew of Bedford, Va. (five bass, 15 pounds, 13 ounces, $513).

The Shenandoah Division’s next event will be held June 3 on Lake Gaston near Bracey, Va., followed by an event on the James River near Richmond, Va., July 29. The Shenandoah Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 30- Oct. 1 with a two-day Super Tournament on the Potomac River near Woodbridge.

Following the regular season, the Shenandoah 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 Shenandoah Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kerr Lake Regional Championship near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 12-14 where they will compete against Gator, Savannah River and South Carolina 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.