Graham wins BFL Super Tournament on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta

MOBILE, Ala. – Brian Graham of Jackson caught 10 bass weighing 21 pounds, 12 ounces to win $4,558 at the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Gulf Coast Division Super Tournament, held this weekend on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta near Mobile. Graham bested 61 Boater Division competitors and earned 300 points at the tournament, which was the fifth and final Gulf Coast Division event of the regular season.

Graham caught five bass Saturday weighing 11 pounds, 4 ounces and caught another five weighing 10 pounds, 8 ounces Sunday to win the event. He also earned a $1,000 bonus from Garmin for using a fixed-mount Garmin Fishfinder or combination GPS/sounder during the event. He won another $610 as the big-bass award winner thanks to a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Robert Robinson of Mobile (10 bass, 17 pounds, 7 ounces); Chuck Koski of Brandon, Miss. (10 bass, 17 pounds, 6 ounces); Alan Sward of Pascagoula, Miss. (10 bass, 17 pounds, 3 ounces); and Gary Brown of Gautier, Miss. (10 bass, 16 pounds, 14 ounces).

Brown earned a $500 bonus as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Chris Hults of Gautier, Miss., led 53 Co-angler Division competitors on day two to claim $2,122 as the Super Tournament co-angler winner. He caught five bass Saturday weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces and followed that up Sunday with five more bass weighing 7 pounds to earn the win with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Alan Hults of Gautier, Miss. (eight bass, 13 pounds, 9 ounces); Bill Smith of Ocean Springs, Miss. (eight bass, 12 pounds, 15 ounces); Ryan Bourque of Pearl River, La. (six bass, 10 pounds, 11 ounces); and Matt Hults of Gautier, Miss. (eight bass, 10 pounds, 3 ounces).

Ernest Willis of Moss Point, Miss., took co-angler big-bass honors and $265 with a 4-pound, 11-ounce bass.

Robinson is the Gator Division’s Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, winning $1,000 for the 1,064 points he earned during five regular-season tournaments. Chris Hults is the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division. He earned $500 for his division-leading 1,061 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Gulf Coast Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 21-25 on the Red River near Natchitoches, La., where they will go up against top competitors from the Arkie, Bama and Cowboy divisions for a shot at qualifying for the BFL All-American, one of the most lucrative postseason tournaments in competitive angling.

The BFL comprises 24 divisions nationwide, each featuring five regular-season events that lead to one of six regionals. Four of the regular-season tournaments are one-day events, while the final event, a Super Tournament, is a two-day tournament that will award as much as $70,950 to participating anglers. Anglers who enter all five regular-season events in a division but do not advance to a regional may enter the Chevy Trucks Wild Card for a shot at qualifying for the All-American. The All-American field comprises 84 competitors – six boaters and six co-anglers from six regionals plus six boaters and six co-anglers from the Wild Card.

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 EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Each year the top 30 boaters and co-anglers from each BFL division are eligible to advance to the EverStart Series, and the All-American champions are eligible for Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition. The top 15 pros and co-anglers from the Central, Eastern and Northern divisions of the EverStart Series (top 10 from the Western Division) are eligible to advance to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Chevy pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its six tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997.

FLW Outdoors and the Wal-Mart FLW Tour are named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.