SHREVEPORT, La. – When 240 top anglers from four Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League divisions visit the Red River for regional competition Oct. 18-20, up to $50,000 in prizes will be on the line along with a spot in the prestigious Wal-Mart BFL All-American.
Anglers from the Cowboy, Okie, Arkie and Mississippi divisions covering lakes in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama qualified for the regional by placing in the top 30 in points standings after five qualifying events. Each regional qualifier competed as either a boater or a co-angler throughout the season. Boaters fish from the front of the boat and control its movement while co-anglers fish from the back of the boat. At the Red River regional, the winning boater will be awarded a new Chevy Silverado pickup truck and a Mercury- or Yamaha-powered Ranger 518 VX bass boat with GARMIN electronics, Minn Kota trolling motor and EverStart batteries. The winning co-angler will receive a Ranger bass boat.
Eight boaters and co-anglers from the regional will advance to the 2002 Wal-Mart BFL All-American May 29-June 1. There, boaters will compete for a top award of $100,000 cash and co-anglers will fish for a top award of $50,000 cash. More than $5.7 million could be awarded across 22 BFL divisions nationwide during the 2001 season based on full fields at each tournament. Additionally, Ranger Boats will award a new Ranger 518VX Comanche bass boat to the highest placing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program at the All-American. Ranger Cup participants are also eligible to win a $500 to $1,000 bonus at each BFL tournament. Anglers using fixed-mount GARMIN sonars are also eligible to win a $1,000 bonus at each BFL tournament as part of the GARMIN Grand Giveaway.
Weigh-ins for the Red River regional on Oct. 18 and 19 start at 3 p.m. at Clark’s Red River Marina in Shreveport. The final weigh-in featuring the top eight anglers starts at 3 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Shreveport Wal-Mart on Westport Ave.
“These anglers are some of the best bass fishermen in the country,” said Randy McBride, tournament director. “Making it all the way to regionals is not easy. They deserve a lot of credit for being able to fish well under a variety of conditions.”
Five regional championships will each advance eight boaters and co-anglers to the All-American. Four boaters and co-anglers will advance from a sixth regional, and six boaters and co-anglers will advance from the Chevy Trucks Wild Card regional. The Wild Card is open to anglers who entered all five qualifying events in their region but who did not otherwise qualify for post-season competition. A total of 50 boater and 50 co-anglers will compete in the All-American, which features an estimated purse of $345,000 and ranks as one of the most lucrative post-season tournaments in competitive angling.
Last spring Wal-Mart announced its title sponsorship of the popular Operation Bass Red Man Tournament Trail series that is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. The announcement signaled the creation of the BFL and the end of an era for Red Man, which became the tour’s original title sponsor in 1983. Operation Bass has pioneered affordable, close-to-home, weekend tournaments for the last 22 years and today ranks as the leader in bass tournament promotion.