Sluyter wins BFL Regional on Mississippi
Hatfield tops co-anglers
FORT MADISON, Iowa – Boater Dirk Sluyter of Russellville, Mo., earned a fully rigged Ranger 198VX and a new Chevy truck Saturday as the winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Mississippi River in Fort Madison, Iowa. The top 40 boaters and the top 40 co-anglers from the Great Lakes, Illini, Michigan and Ozark divisions competed in the three-day event.
Sluyter’s winning three-day catch of 15 bass weighed 50 pounds, 5 ounces. In addition to the new truck and boat, Sluyter earned a ticket to the 2008 $1 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League All-American presented by Chevy on the Connecticut River in Hartford, Conn., May 29-31. With a top boater award of $140,000 and a top co-angler award of $70,000, the All-American is one of the most prestigious tournaments in bass fishing. The winning boater and co-angler at the All-American will also advance to the $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 14-17, where pros will fish for a top award of $1 million – the sport’s biggest payday.
“I am so excited to be qualified for the All-American,” Sluyter said. “This was a great tournament. I worked really hard and stayed focused.”
Sluyter caught his winning bass by throwing a frog and a June-bug Senko near lily pads.
“I only brought one frog with me to the tournament,” Sluyter said. “After the first day, I had to run to Wal-Mart to get more, and I could only find white frogs. That night I took a black magic marker and colored the frogs black. By the next day the frogs had turned purple. This ended up being my number one bait and helped me win the tournament.”
The top six boaters and the top six co-anglers at the regional championship earned a spot to compete in the All-American. Rounding out the top six boaters were Mike Brueggen of Cashton, Wis. (13 bass, 44-12, $4,000); Rick Miller of Bettendorf, Iowa (15 bass, 41-9, $2,000); Jerad Perkins of Carterville, Ill. (15 bass, 39-14, $1,600); Richie Evans of Nauvoo, Ill. (14 bass, 39-8, $1,200); and Jeff Ritter of Prairie du Chien, Wis. (15 bass, 38-5, $1,000).
Jereimiah Hatfield of Cashton, Wis., earned a new Ranger boat as the co-angler winner, thanks to a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 30 pounds, 14 ounces.
Rounding out the top six co-anglers were Michael Huffman of Fort Madison, Iowa (12 bass, 30-1, $2,000); Bradley Smith of Troy, Ill. (14 bass, 30-1, $1,000); Kevin Anderson of Ettrick, Wis. (12 bass, 24-10, $800); Brett Wysock of Wilmington, Ill. (nine bass, 21-15, $600); and Terry Bassemier of Carmi, Ill. (10 bass, 21-8, $500).
As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Series and Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament circuits.
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 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 tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.