Collins wins Watts Barr Lake BFL event

SPRING CITY, Tenn. – Boater Division competitor Garry Collins of Russell Springs, Ky., earned $3,988 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Mountain Division event on Watts Barr Lake in Spring City. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Mountain Division events. The regular season will wrap up Oct. 2-3 with a two-day Super Tournament that will be held on Cherokee Lake in Morristown.

Collins bested 146 Boater Division competitors with a five-bass catch weighing 17 pounds, 6 ounces that he caught on a Zara Spook and a Brush Hog. Included in that stringer was a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass that earned him $730 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner. He also earned $1,000 from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Jonathan Pelfrey of Rockwood (five bass, 17 pounds, 2 ounces, $1,994); Tim Wyatt of Crossville (five bass, 15 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,356); Ott Defoe of Knoxville (five bass, 12 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,037); and Curtis Hall of Florence, Ky. (five bass, 11 pounds, 11 ounces, $877).

Joey Boling of Walland won the 146-competitor Co-angler Division with a four-bass catch weighing 10 pounds, 12 ounces. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a Brush Hog and crankbaits and earned $1,994 for the win.

Rounding out the top four co-anglers are Billy Gardner of Livingston (three bass, 7 pounds, 11 ounces, $997); Trent Colvin of Greensburg, Ky. (two bass, 6 pounds, 12 ounces, $678); and Rusty Elmore of Lancaster, Ky. (two bass, 6 pounds, 8 ounces, $518). Tied for fifth were Charles Jenkins of Corbin, Ky., and Todd Lyons of Bardstown, Ky. Both anglers caught two bass that weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces to earn $399 each.

Jeremy Ratliff of Rockwood caught a 4-pound, 13-ounce bass to win Co-angler Division big-bass honors and $365.

Following the regular season, the top 30 Mountain Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Wheeler Lake regional near Rogersville, Ala., Oct. 19-23. They will compete against qualifying anglers from the Bulldog, LBL and Shenandoah divisions for one of six slots in the 2005 All-American, one of competitive bass fishing’s most prestigious events. The winning boater at the All-American will take home $100,000 cash, and the winning co-angler will earn $50,000 cash.

Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points awarded 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. These points determine angler standings. The Mountain Division boater who amasses the most points at the end of the regular season will earn $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, and the co-angler earning the most points will earn $500 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division.

Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to regional competition are eligible to fish the Chevy Trucks Wild Card for an All-American berth. Six nationwide regionals plus the Wild Card will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total field of 84 competitors.

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 click here.

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.