Wilborn wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Lake Guntersville

Boater O.B. Wilborn of Stevenson, Ala., won the BFL Choo Choo Division tournament on Lake Guntersville Feb. 24 to earn $5,100. Angler: O.b. Wilborn.

February 24, 2007 • MLF • Archives

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – Boater O.B. Wilborn of Stevenson, Ala., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division tournament on Lake Guntersville Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 27 pounds. The victory earned Wilborn $5,100 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Clarks Hill Lake Regional Championship in Appling, Ga., Oct. 11-13, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Wilborn was throwing a lipless crankbait in 3 to 4 feet of water targeting pockets and creeks to catch his bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Josh Wofford of Ooltewah, Tenn. (five bass, 24-7, $3,000); Billy Brindle of Calhoun, Ga. (five bass, 23-6, $2,000); Michael Seeley of Section, Ala. (five bass, 23-5, $1,400); and Mark Cady of Dalton, Ga. (five bass, 22-13, $1,200).

Bryan Douglas of Hazel Green, Ala., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $1,000 for an 8-pound, 11-ounce bass.

Gary Thacker of Athens, Ala., finished 22nd and took home $500 for being the highest-placing Ranger Cup contingency participant.

Geoff McKnight of Rainbow City, Ala., earned $3,000 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 22 pounds, 7 ounces that he caught while fishing a combinations of jigs and lipless crankbaits around shallow cover.

McKnight also earned an additional $500 as the co-angler Snickers Big Bass winner after catching a 7-pound, 9-ounce bass.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Coy Thomas of Warrior, Ala. (five bass, 22-1, $1,500); David Barlow of Temple, Ga. (five bass, 22-00, $1,000); William Bolden of Somerville, Ala. (five bass, 21-7, $700); and Allen Tatum of Ringgold, Ga. (five bass, 19-5, $600).

The Choo Choo Division’s next event will be April 28 on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala, followed by a tournament May 19 on Weiss Lake in Cedar Bluff, Ala. The division’s fourth event will be held June 16 on Lake Neely Henry in Gadsden, Ala., and the final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 22-23 on Lake Guntersville in Scottsboro, Ala.

Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on year-end points standings in the division will advance to the no-entry-fee Clarks Hill Lake Regional Championship where they will compete against top qualifiers from three other BFL divisions. At the Regional Championship boaters will fish for a new Ranger boat and Chevy truck and co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger boat. The top six boaters and top six co-anglers at the Regional Championship will also advance to the 2008 All-American presented by Chevy. With a total purse of $1 million, a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and as much as $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing. The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American also advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the sport’s biggest championship.

The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired. Boaters supply the boat and fish from the front deck against other boaters while co-anglers compete 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, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, 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 will offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 238 events in 2007.

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.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.