Kerber wins Walmart BFL event on Great Sacandaga Lake

Conley co-angler winner

MAYFIELD, N.Y. – R.T. Kerber of Taberg, N.Y., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Empire Division two-day Super Tournament on Great Sacandaga Lake Sunday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 21 pounds, 3 ounces. The victory earned Kerber $4,110 and solidified his ticket to the Potomac River Regional Championship in Marbury, Md., Oct. 8-10, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Daniel Murphy of Wharton, N.J. (10 bass, 20-4, $2,055); Jim Sweeney of West Dover, Vt. (10 bass, 19-14, $1,369); Rob Lamoy of Chazy, N.Y. (10 bass, 19-6, $959); and Michael Hart of Stanhope, N.J. (10 bass, 19-1, $822).

Sweeney took home the Boater Division Folgers Big Bass award, earning $442 for a 3-pound, 6-ounce bass he caught.

Raymond Conley III of Albany, N.Y., earned $2,055 as the co-angler winner Sunday thanks to a two-day catch of 10 bass weighing 19 pounds, 1 ounce.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Tony Dorman of Springville, Pa. (nine bass, 17-0, $1,028); Robert Pelletier of Nassau, N.Y. (nine bass, 16-12, $684); John Kelley Jr. of Old Forge, Pa. (nine bass, 16-5, $480); and Brian Dauberman of Mifflinburg, Pa. (10 bass, 16-4, $411).

Kurtis Hohensheldt of Palatine Bridge, N.Y., earned $221 as the co-angler Folgers Big Bass winner after catching a 2-pound, 10-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, 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.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also has 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.