Kiesling wins Wal-Mart BFL event on Lake Norman

TERRELL, N.C. – Boater Alfred Kiesling Sr. of Mooresville, N.C., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament on Lake Norman on Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 17 pounds, 2 ounces. The victory earned Kiesling $5,032 plus an $888 Ranger contingency bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Cherokee Lake Regional Championship in Morristown, Tenn., Oct. 16-18, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Catching his limit on crankbaits, foggy conditions may have helped Kiesling win his first BFL tournament. When he got to his first spot, near the mouth of a big creek, he caught a 3 1/2-pound spotted bass on his first cast, and went on to land a 4 1/2-pounder on his second or third cast.

“I caught 12 to 15 fish on that one spot. I didn’t move the boat and just sat and stayed back off of them. It was too hard to believe, really; I’d culled three times at 15 till 8 (in the morning). I caught them in a span of about 30 minutes,” he said. “Luckily, that fog and dark conditions made it almost like first light, and we could hardly see when we got there. They were just eating, and some big, big fish had just moved in there to feed, and I got lucky, and the Lord blessed me to catch them.”

Rounding out the top five boaters are Darrell Hager of Alexis, N.C. (five bass, 13-7, $2,960); Jason Barnes of Concord, N.C. (five bass, 13-4, $1,974); Matt Haywood of Lincolnton, N.C. (five bass, 12-8, $1,382) and Shane Lineberger of Lincolnton, N.C. (five bass, 11-11, $1,184).

Russell Corry of Rockingham, N.C. took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $980 for a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass he caught fishing docks.

Arthur Brown of Lincolnton, N.C., earned $2,960 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 11 pounds, 7 ounces that he caught fishing docks with a jerkbait.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jamie Denison of Winston Salem, N.C. (four bass, 10-0, $1,480); Steven Spivey of Whiteville, N.C. (five bass, 9-0, $988); Bucky Helms of Dallas, N.C. (five bass, 9-3, $691) and Robert Peaslee of Pulaski, Va. (five bass, 8-15, $592).

Brown earned $490 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 14-ounce bass.

North Carolina Division anglers will visit Lake Wylie in Lake Wylie, S.C., April 5 for their second regular-season event, followed by an event on Kerr Lake in Henderson, N.C., May 3. The division’s fourth qualifying event will be held on High Rock in Salisbury, N.C., June 21. A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on Lake Norman in Terrell, N.C., Sept. 13-14.

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 Cherokee 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 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 Forrest Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the sport’s biggest championship.

Tournament anglers aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing, FLW Outdoors will be awarding the largest fantasy sports payout in history. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player’s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.

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.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.

Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.