Sumner wins Wal-Mart BFL event on Lake Gaston

BRACY, Va. – Boater Todd Sumner of Southern Pines, N.C., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament on Lake Gaston Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 22 pounds, 7 ounces. The victory earned Sumner $4,535 plus an $800 Ranger bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Fort Loudoun-Tellico Lakes Regional Championship in Lenoir City, Tenn., Oct. 18-20, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Sumner caught his fish mid-lake around rocks and wood with a 3/8-ounce black-and-blue jig.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Bruce Hoadley of Raleigh, N.C., (five bass, 20-11, $2,668); Michael Fox of Statesville, N.C., (five bass, 18-6, $1,780); Maurice Freeze of Concord, N.C., (five bass, 16-9, $1,245) and Donnie Harper of Chester, Va., (five bass, 16-3, $1,067).

Fox took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $840 for a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass.

Chris Hall of Mount Pleasant, N.C., earned $2,668 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 13 pounds, 8 ounces that he caught while fishing a ¼-ounce black jig around rocks near the dam.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Josea Goble of Newton, N.C., (five bass, 12-12, $1,334); John Allen of Concord, N.C., (four bass, 12-5, $888); James Howerton of Danville, Va., (five bass, 10-6, $623) and Mike Shatley of North Wilkesboro, N.C., (three bass, 10-3, $534).

Frank Johnson of Jonesville, N.C., earned $420 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 7-pound, 7-ounce bass.

The North Carolina Division’s next event will be May 19 on Jordan Lake in Apex, N.C., followed by a tournament June 16 on High Rock in Salisbury, N.C. The final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 8-9 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 Fort Loudoun-Tellico Lakes 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, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.