Smith wins Wal-Mart BFL event on Weiss Lake

CEDAR BLUFF, Ala. – Boater Clark Smith Jr. of Pell City, Ala., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division tournament on Weiss Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces. The victory earned Smith $4,169 plus a $735 Ranger contingency bonus 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.

Smith caught his bass on a crankbait in shallow water.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Phillip Dukes of Rainsville, Ala. (five bass, 15-9, $2,453); Edward Gettys of Stevenson, Ala. (five bass, 15-4, $1,635); Randall Tharp of Gardendale, Ala. (five bass, 14-13, $1,145); and Tim Buckner of Scottsboro, Ala. (five bass, 14-8, $981).

Smith also took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $740 for a 6-pound bass.

Jason Cooper of Shelbyville, Tenn., earned $2,453 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Brian Carroll of Morrow, Ga. (five bass, 12-14, $1,226); Charles Skelton of Rockmart, Ga. (four bass, 11-12, $816); John Cook of Trinity, Ala. (four bass, 11-11, $572); and Kyle Shirley of Huntsville, Ala. (four bass, 10-11, $491).

Cooper also earned $370 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 14-ounce bass.

The division’s fourth event will be held June 16 on Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Ala., and the final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 22-23 on Guntersville Lake 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 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 Walmart.com.

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