Stafford wins Chevy Wild Card on Wheeler

Goggins top co-angler

DECATUR, Ala. – Boater Hubert Stafford of Colquitt, Ga., earned $7,867 Saturday as the winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Chevy Wild Card event on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala. Anglers who entered all five of their BFL division’s events and didn’t qualify for a Regional Championship were invited to compete in the two-day event.

Stafford’s winning two-day catch of 10 bass weighed 26 pounds, 14 ounces. In addition to the prize money, Stafford earned a ticket to the 2008 $1 million Wal-Mart BFL 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.

Stafford caught his winning bass by throwing soft plastics near Decatur Flats around shell beds and hydrilla.

The top six boaters and the top six co-anglers at the Chevy Wild Card earned a spot to compete in the All-American.

Rounding out the top six boaters were Sam Moody of Athens, Ala. (nine bass, 26-9, $3,934); Brian Wilson of Somerset, Ky. (10 bass, 23-12, $2,973); Kevin Snider of Elizabethtown, Ky. (10 bass, 23-1, $2,098); Brian Cox of Woodstock, Ga. (10 bass, 22-7, $1,661); and Michael Conley of Bainbridge, Ga. (10 bass, 21-13, $1,486).

The Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award for day one was a tie: Cox and Lewis Hartwell of Jackson, Miss., each earned $625 for catching a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass. On day two, the Snickers Big Bass award went to Stafford with a 4-pound, 12-ounce bass that earned him $1,250.

Anthony Goggins of Sylacauga, Ala., earned $3,690 as the co-angler winner, thanks to a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 16 pounds, 2 ounces that he caught throwing a Senko in and around grass.

Rounding out the top six co-anglers were Ryan Cullop of Daniels, W. Va. (10 bass, 16-0, $1,845); William Vaughan of Raleigh, N.C. (10 bass, 15-3, $1,393); Mike Partridge of Chandler, Ind. (10 bass, 14-12, $984); Kenneth Hunnicutt of Jacksonville, Fla. (10 bass, 14-6, $779); and Marvin Mobley of Gulf Breeze, Fla. (eight bass, 14-5, $697).

The Co-angler Snickers Big Bass award on day one went to Mike Wolfenbarger of Powell, Tenn., with a 4-pound, 14-ounce bass earning him $568. On day two, the Snickers Big Bass award went to James Pilot of Clinton, Md., for landing a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass that also earned him $568.

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.