Daniels wins Walmart BFL event on Kerr Lake

Howard co-angler winner

HENDERSON, N.C. – Eddie Daniels of Garner, N.C., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League final Shenandoah Division tournament on Kerr Lake Sunday with a two-day, 10-bass catch weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounce. The victory earned Daniels $5,077 and helped him qualify for the Potomac River Regional Championship in Marbury, Md., Oct. 8-10, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

“By the skin of my teeth, I qualified for the regional championship, and I am tickled to death,” said Daniels. “I truly learned how important it is to weigh in every fish at each tournament, even if you only get one.”

Daniels fished in shallow water using a fluke and a green-pumpkin wacky-style worm. Fishing was tough for him, and he had some bad luck including losing two 4-pound fish and a 5-pound fish on Saturday. On Sunday he had more bites, but unfortunately they were not as big as they were the day before.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Bo Grosvenor of Forest, Va. (9 bass, 20, $2,539); Shayne Berlo of Haymarket, Va. (10 bass, 18-13, $1,694); Barton Wines of Warrenton, Va. (7 bass, 17-06, $1,185) and Chuck Newcomer of Leesburg, Va. (9 bass, 17-03, $1,015).

Tommy Little of Chester, Va., took home the Boater Division Folgers Big Bass award, earning $637 for a 4-pound, 14-ounce bass he caught.

Scott Howard of Huddleston, Va., earned $2,466 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to 7- bass weighing 20 pounds, 2 ounces that he caught on a Heddon Super Spook Bone.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Allen (Tink) Burns of Rustburt, Va. (7 bass, 15-8, $1,233); Larry Halsey of Pfafftown, N.C. (7 bass, 15-07, $823); Rob Peppers of Virginia Beach, Va. (6 bass, 12-7, $575); and Lee Williams of Durham, N.C. (6 bass, 11-15, $493).

Harold Smith of Goodview, Va., earned $296 as the co-angler Folgers Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 15-ounce bass.

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 Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event 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. 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.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports. Sign up for Player’s Advantage to get your edge and win.

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