Angers wins Wal-Mart BFL event on Lake St. Clair

MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – Boater Ted Angers of Harrison Township, Mich., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division tournament on Lake St. Clair Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 21 pounds, 13 ounces. The victory earned Angers $3,297 plus a $581 Ranger Boat contingency bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Mississippi River Regional Championship in Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 4-6, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Mark Dowd of Livonia, Mich. (five bass, 21-8, $1,940); Dan Mason of Pain Court, Ontario (five bass, 20-10, $1,293); Mark Modrak of Chesterfield, Mich. (five bass, 20-4, $905); and Heath Wagner of Angola, Ind. (five bass, 19-8, $776).

Angers also took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $515 for a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass.

Antoni Bicy of Lansing, Mich., earned $1,940 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounce.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Craig Scherbarth of Royal Oak, Mich. (five bass, 18-11, $970); Duane Mayhew of Warsaw, Ind. (five bass, 18-1, $646); Douglas Lepper of Union City, Mich. (five bass, 17-8, $453); and David Michaelis of Commerce, Mich. (five bass, 17-4, $388).

Bicy earned $257 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 13-ounce bass.

The Michigan Division’s next event will be July 28 on the Grand River in Grand Haven, Mich., followed by a tournament Aug. 25 on the Detroit River in Trenton, Mich. The division’s final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 15-16 on the Detroit River in Trenton.

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 Mississippi 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 Walmart.com.

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