Evans outfishes BFL field on Ohio River - Major League Fishing

Evans outfishes BFL field on Ohio River

Dudley nets co-angler win
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Boater Bill Evans of Friendship, Ohio, won the July 11 BFL Buckeye Division tournament on the Ohio River to earn $3,426. Angler: Bill Evans.
July 11, 2009 • MLF • Archives

HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – Bill Evans of Friendship, Ohio, won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Buckeye Division tournament on the Ohio River Saturday with a four-bass catch weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces. The victory earned Evans $3,426 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Kentucky Lake Regional Championship in Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 15-17, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

“My engine broke down and I had to ride in with another competitor to make it to the weigh-in,” said Evans. “This is my first BFL win.”

Evans said he fished near Ironton, Ohio, in grassy areas fishing with a white spinnerbait, a silver and blue Pop-R, a black and red Brush Hog, and drop-shot a Roboworm.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Michael Manor of Sidney, Ohio (three bass, 5-11, $1,713); David Dudley of Dublin, Ohio (three bass, 5-7, $1,141); Michael Safreed of Beavercreek, Ohio (three bass, 5-3, $799); and Jack Landsaw Jr. of Ewing, Ky. (five bass, 5-2, $685).

Bill Evans took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $430 for a 3-pound, 7-ounce bass he caught.

Kenny Mitchell of Franklin, Ohio, earned $1,713 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to two bass Kenny Mitchell of Franklin, Ohio, earned $1,713 as the co-angler winner of the July 11 BFL Buckeye Division event.weighing 3 pounds, 14 ounces that he caught on a Shakey Head soft plastic worm.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Troy Holsinger of Portsmouth, Ohio (two bass, 3-13, $713); Jared King of Dayton, Ohio (three bass, 3-13, $713); Blake Caudill of Morehead, Ky. (three bass, 3-11, $371); and Andrew Gilliland of Wellston, Ohio (four bass, 3-11, $371).

Kenny Mitchell earned $215 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 2-pound, 14-ounce bass.

The next Buckeye Division event will be held on the Ohio River in Maysville, Ky., Aug. 8.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition.

The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee 2010 Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Walmart FLW Tour.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

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 FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament circuit.

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

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