Kremer wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Lake Okeechobee

Boater Joseph Kremer of Osteen, Fla., won the BFL Everglades Division Super Tournament on Lake Okeechobee. Angler: Joseph Kremer.

October 1, 2006 • MLF • Archives

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. – Boater Joseph Kremer of Osteen, Fla., earned 300 points and $5,460 Sunday as the winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Everglades Division Super Tournament on Lake Okeechobee.

Kremer’s two-day winning catch of 10 bass weighed 42 pounds, 8 ounces. He also won the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award with a 7-pound, 11-ounce bass that earning him $712.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Jim Meldon of West Palm Beach, Fl. (nine bass, 28 pounds, 15 ounces, $2,730); Curtis Lewis of West Palm Beach, Fla. (10 bass, 28 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,820); Ken Fitton of Loxahatchee, Fla. (eight bass, 23 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,274); and Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla. (10 bass, 22 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,092).

Lewis also won $1,500 as the highest placing Ranger boat owner.

Gene Elliott of Palm Springs, Fla., earned $2,730 as the co-angler winner thanks to nine bass weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jay Trudel of Boca Raton, Fla. (10 bass, 19 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,365); Shannon Pitts of Vero Beach, Fla. (nine bass, 16 pounds, 5 ounces, $909); Luke Campbell of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (10 bass, 15 pounds, 8 ounces, $637); and Mark Linn of Sarasota, Fla. (seven bass, 14 pounds, 6 ounces, $546).

Tim Simko of Port Saint Lucie, Fla., earned $356 as the co-angler Snickers Big Bass winner with a 7-pound, 13-ounce bass.

The top 40 Everglades Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will now advance to the no-entry-fee Regional Championship near Demopolis, Ala., where they will compete against Choo-Choo, Mississippi and Seminole Division anglers for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck in the Boater Division plus six slots in the no-entry-fee 2007 Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. With a total purse of $1 million and a potential $140,000 cash 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 Boater Division points champion who advances the farthest at the All-American will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler points champion who advances the farthest will earn $5,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion in the Co-angler Division.

For complete Everglades Division standings, browse FLWOutdoors.com.

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.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.

For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse FLWOutdoors.com.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.