Houchins best boater at Kerr Lake

HENDERSON, N.C. – Boater Jason Houchins of Woodbridge, Va., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division tournament on Kerr Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 17 pounds, 1 ounce. The victory earned Houchins $5,100 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Potomac River Regional Championship in Charles County, Md., Oct. 11-13, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Houchins was throwing crankbaits over a pea gravel bottom to catch his bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are David Wright of Lexington, N.C. (five bass, 16-15, $3,000); William Shelton III of Mount Nebo, W.Va. (five bass, 16-3, $2,000); Jimmy Coleman of Monroe, Va. (five bass, 16-00, $1,400) and Edward Fore of Concord, Va. (five bass, 15-10, $1,200).

Van Murray of Raleigh, N.C., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $1,000 for a 6-pound, 9-ounce bass.

David Wright also earned $500 for being the highest-placing Ranger Cup contingency participant.

Bryan Hastings of Littleton, N.C., earned $3,000 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 17 pounds, 13 ounces that he caught while fishing a crankbait around steep banks.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Stephen Lucy of Lacrosse, Va. (five bass, 16-00, $1,500); Allen Haigh of Prospect Hill, N.C. (five bass, 14-14, $1,000); Kevin Pfautz of Boydton, Va. (five bass, 13-00, $700) and Randy Waterman of Keysville, Va. (five bass, 12-2, $600).

Milton Lockamy Jr. of Clayton, N.C., earned $500 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass.

The Piedmont Division’s next event will be March 24 on Kerr Lake in Henderson, N.C., followed by a tournament May 12 on the Potomac River in Woodbridge, Va. The division’s fourth event will be held June 30 on Kerr Lake in Henderson, N.C., and the final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 29-30 on Kerr Lake in Henderson, N.C.

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 Potomac River 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.