Rossow wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Potomac River

WOODBRIDGE, Va. – Boater Mark Rossow of Washington, D.C., earned $5,000 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division event on the Potomac River. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Shenandoah Division events and featured 200 boaters vying for the win, which earned Rossow 200 points in the Boater Division.

Rossow’s winning catch of five bass weighed 17 pounds, 6 ounces, and he caught them on Senkos and tubes in Mattawoman Creek. He also earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Finishing second was Kyle Hoffman of Harpers Ferry, W. Va., with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 10 ounces that earned him $2,500. Richard Haber Jr. of Severn, Md., claimed $1,700 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces. In fourth was Peter O’Donnell of Deale, Md., with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces worth $1,300, and finishing fifth and earning $1,100 was Raymond Grimes of Albright, W. Va., with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 3 ounces.

Jason Sherwood of Germantown, Md., and Philip Wolcott of Midlothian tied for Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $500 each for a 4-pound, 8-ounce bass.

Ralph Campitiello of Kinnelon, N.J., bested 200 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,500 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 14 pounds, 13 ounces that he caught on spinnerbaits and Senkos.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Joshua Taube of Roanoke (five bass, 14 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,250); John Farrell III of Woodbridge (five bass, 13 pounds, 7 ounces, $850); Jerry Comperatore of Tarentum, Pa. (five bass, 13 pounds, 4 ounces, $650); and Jonathan Yost of Suffolk (four bass, 12 pounds, 12 ounces, $550).

Jeff White of Rhoadesville earned $500 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass he caught on a Fluke.

The Shenandoah Division’s next event will be held June 19 on Kerr Lake near Boydton, followed by an event on the James River in Richmond July 17. The Shenandoah Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 25-26 with a two-day Super Tournament on the Potomac River in Woodbridge.

Following the regular season, the Shenandoah Division boater with the most points will earn $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader. The co-angler amassing the most points will earn $500 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division.

Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on. The top 30 Shenandoah Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Wheeler Lake regional near Rogersville, Ala., Oct. 19-23, where they will compete against Bulldog, LBL and Mountain division anglers for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American. With a $100,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $50,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing.

The $6.3 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 24 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired, with boaters supplying the boat and fishing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing from the back deck against other co-anglers. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

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. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com’s sponsor page.