Rhoden wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Lake Hamilton

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Boater Brandon Rhoden of Grapevine, Ark., earned 300 points and $6,403 Sunday as the winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division Super Tournament on Lake Hamilton.

Rhoden’s two-day winning catch of 10 bass weighed 16 pounds, 9 ounces. He was throwing buzzbaits in the backs of creeks to catch his bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Adam Wright of Benton, Ark. (nine bass, 15 pounds, 7 ounces, $3,202); Wayne Hudgens of Hot Springs, Ark. (10 bass, 13 pounds, 11 ounces, $2,133); Josh Wray of Harrison, Ark. (eight bass, 12 pounds, $1,494); and Keith Green of Arkadelphia, Ark. (eight bass, 11 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,281).

Wright also won the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass that earned him $892.

Wright also took home an additional $500 for being the highest-placing Ranger Cup participant. He earned the Powered by Yamaha bonus of $250 for his second-place finish as well.

Kevin McDonald of Alexander, Ark., earned $3,202 as the co-angler winner thanks to seven bass weighing 12 pounds, 6 ounces that he caught on a topwater frog and flipping a jig around shallow docks.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jason Wedel of Lowell, Ark. (four bass, 8 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,601); Glen Travis Hensley of Vilonia, Ark. (six bass, 7 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,067); Keeton Blaylock of Benton, Ark. (six bass, 7 pounds, 6 ounces, $747); and David Wormington of Texarkana, Texas (six bass, 7 pounds, 1 ounce, $640).

Wedel also earned an additional $446 as the Co-Angler Division Snickers Big Bass winner with a 4-pound, 7-ounce bass.

The top 40 Arkie Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will now advance to the no-entry-fee Wright Patman Regional Championship near Texarkana, Texas, Oct. 19-21, where they will compete against Cowboy, Louisiana and Okie 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 Arkie 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.