McMillan outfishes field at BFL event on Kerr Lake

HENDERSON, N.C. – Boater Ronnie McMillan of Elon, N.C., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division tournament on Kerr Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces. The victory earned McMillan $5,100 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Potomac River Regional Championship in Charles County, Md., 11-13, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

McMillan was throwing a white swimming jig around submerged brush in bays and pockets.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Timothy Penhollow of Oxford, N.C. (five bass, 17-5, $3,000); Edward Fore of Concord, Va. (five bass, 16-13, $2,000); Jimmy Coleman of Monroe, Va. (five bass, 15-13, $1,400) and Rick Davis of Greensboro, N.C. (five bass, 15-6, $1,200).

Roger Fulk of Clemmons, N.C., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $1,000 for a 6-pound, 8-ounce bass.

Danny Washburn of Roanoke, Va., also earned and additional $500 for being the highest-placing Ranger Cup participant in Saturday’s competition.

Steve Kiser of Tarboro, N.C., earned $3,000 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 14 pounds, 6 ounces that he caught while fishing a combination of spinnerbaits and crankbaits in pockets targeting schooling fish.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Reid Barr of Marion, Va. (five bass, 13-10, $1,500); Michael Stevens of Lexington, N.C. (five bass, 13-6, $1,000); Randall Falwell of Monroe, Va. (five bass, 12-11, $700) and David Cox of Greenville, N.C. (five bass, 12-10, $600).

Eric Christian of Burlington, N.C., earned $500 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass.

The Piedmont Division’s next event will be May 12 on the Potomac River in Woodbridge, Va., followed by a tournament June 30 on Kerr Lake in Henderson, N.C. The division’s 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 241 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, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.