Daniel best boater at West Point Lake

LANETT, Ala. – Boater Phillip Daniel of Roanoke, Ala., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Dixie Division tournament on West Point Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 16 pounds, 9 ounces. The victory earned Daniel $4,105 plus a $724 Ranger contingency bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Lake Seminole Regional Championship in Bainbridge, Ga., Oct. 25-27, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Richard Barron of Dadeville, Ala. (five bass, 14-15, $2,415); Jason Grantham of Jonesboro, Ga. (four bass, 13-13, $1,609); Chad Hall of Dora, Ala. (five bass, 13-07, $1,127) and Kevin Benefield of Fayetteville, Ga. (five bass, 13-04, $966).

Grantham took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $720 for a 8-pound bass.

Allen Pair of Calera, Ala., earned $2,415 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 10 pounds, 7 ounces that he caught while fishing a shaky head in 7 to 20 feet of water near brush tops.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Matt Cook of Tuscaloosa, Ala. (five bass, 9-04, $1,006); Todd Radney of Oxford, Ala. (five bass, 9-04, $1,006); Christopher Brummitt of College Park, Ga. (three bass, 9-02, $563); Anthony Goggins of Sylacauga, Ala. (four bass, 8-11, $442); Chuck Hamilgon of Montgomery, Ala. (four bass, 8-11, $442); and Dennis Hudson of Fortson, Ga. (five bass, 8-11, $442).

Brummitt earned $360 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass.

The final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Aug. 25-26 on Logan Martin Lake in Pell City, 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 Lake Seminole 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.