Ingersoll wins Wal-Mart BFL event on Bay Springs

Kesler nets co-angler win

NEW SITE, Miss. – Boater Brian Ingersoll of Cordova, Tenn., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division tournament on Bay Springs Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces. The victory earned Ingersoll $4,019 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Kentucky Lake Regional Championship in Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 18-20, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Ingersoll caught his fish by throwing soft-plastics around channel and creek breaks.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Shan Schoenrock of Aliceville, Ala. (five bass, 15-4, $2,364); Mark Floyd of Blue Mountain, Miss. (five bass, 14-3, $1,576); Ben Davis of Dennis, Miss. (five bass, 13-15, $1,103) and Aaron Harrelson of Corinth, Miss. (five bass, 13-12, $946).

Schoenrock also took home an additional $500 for being the highest-placing Ranger Cup participant. He also won the Snickers Big Bass award in the Boater Division with a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass worth $708.

D.J. Kesler of Baldwyn, Miss., earned $2,249 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 14 pounds, 11 ounces that he caught while fishing a Texas-rigged lizard in five to eight feet of water.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Ricky McKenzie of Flowood, Miss. (five bass, 11-1, $1,125); Brian Barfield of Moss Point, Miss. (four bass, 10-15, $752); Tim Constance of Brandon, Miss. (four bass, 10-14, $525); and Sammy Mitchell of Russellville, Ala. (five bass, 9-9, $450).

Bill Benford of Phil Campbell, Ala., earned $322 as the co-angler Snickers Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass.

The Mississippi Division’s next event will be May 12 on the Mississippi River in Tunica, Miss., followed by a tournament June 30 on the Columbus Pool in Columbus, Miss. The division’s final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 8-9 on Lake Ferguson in Greenville, Miss.

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 Kentucky 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 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.