Clark wins Mississippi Division tournament

Mark Clark of Crawford, Miss., led the field of 166 boaters with a five-bass catch weighing 12 pounds, 13 ounces during the BFL Mississippi Division?s second regular-season stop, held March 22 on Pickwick Lake near Florence. Angler: Mark Clark.

March 22, 2003 • MLF • Archives

FLORENCE, Ala. – Mark Clark of Crawford, Miss., claimed $4,370 as the winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division’s second regular-season stop, held Saturday on Pickwick Lake near Florence. Clark led the field of 166 boaters with a five-bass catch weighing 12 pounds, 13 ounces.

Clark caught his bass Saturday cranking points in the Yellow Creek area with a Bandit 200 Series crankbait. As the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, Clark also claimed a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats, and he earned another $1,000 from Garmin for using a fixed-mount Garmin Fishfinder or combination GPS/sounder.

Finishing second was Jason Frederick of Booneville, Miss., (four bass, 12 pounds, 2 ounces, $2,185) followed by Lynn Miller of Memphis, Tenn., (four bass, 11 pounds, 6 ounces, $1,486) in third. Tied for fourth were Shan Schoenrock of Carrollton and Kristopher Bouldin of Cordova, Tenn. Each caught five bass that weighed 11 pounds, 5 ounces to win $1,048.

Talbot Kennedy of Cordova, Tenn., topped 158 Co-angler Division competitors with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 9 ounces that he caught throwing a Rat-L-Trap. Kennedy earned $2,103 for the win.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mike Hardy of Collierville, Tenn. (four bass, 10 pounds, 4 ounces, $1,051); Dale Devers of Blytheville, Ark. (five bass, 9 pounds, 14 ounces, $715); Ken Odell of Taylorsville, Miss. (five bass, 8 pounds, 9 ounces, $547); and David Junk of Quincy, Ill. (five bass, 8 pounds, 6 ounces, $463).

Miller earned boater big-bass honors and $830 with a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass, and Jeffrey White of Guntown, Miss., earned co-angler big-bass honors and $395 in his division with an 7-pound, 10-ounce bass.

The Mississippi Division will make its third regular-season stop May 17 on Columbus Pool in Columbus, Miss., followed by an event on Lake Ferguson in Greenville, Miss., June 21. The final regular-season event, a two-day Super Tournament, will be held Sept. 6-7 on Ross Barnett in Brandon, Miss. Following the regular season, the boater with the most points will be declared the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader and awarded $1,000. The co-angler with the most points following the regular season will earn $500.

The top 30 Mississippi Division boaters and co-anglers will advance to regional competition Oct. 7-11 on Lake Eufaula near Eufaula, Ala., where they will go up against top competitors from the Louisiana, Music City and Savannah River divisions for a shot at qualifying for the Wal-Mart BFL All-American – one of the most lucrative postseason tournaments in competitive angling.

As much as $6 million will be awarded in the 2003 Wal-Mart BFL.

For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

Editor’s Note: Ranger Cup award winners are pending verification by Ranger Boats and thus are unofficial at this time.