Beaver wins West Point Lake BFL event

LANETT, Ala. – Boater Division competitor Rodger Beaver of Leesburg, Ga., earned $4,543 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division event on West Point Lake in Lanett. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Bulldog Division events. The regular season will wrap up Oct. 2-3 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula.

Beaver bested 176 Boater Division competitors with a five-bass catch weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces. The win is Beaver’s fourth career BFL victory and his second top-10 finish of the season.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Gary Gardner of Milner, Ga. (five bass, 13 pounds, 15 ounces, $2,272); Troy Morrow of Toccoa, Ga. (five bass, 10 pounds, 10 ounces, $1,545); Mike Cleveland of Monticello, Ga. (four bass, 10 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,181); and Ronnie Ray of Phenix City, Ala. (five bass, 8 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,000).

Brad Warfield of Sharpsburg, Ga., earned a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. Bob Snellgrove of Warner Robins, Ga., earned $880 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 7-pound, 5-ounce bass.

Jimmie Bailey of Valdosta, Ga., won the 176-competitor Co-angler Division with a five-bass catch weighing 10 pounds, 13 ounces. He earned $2,272 for the win.

In second was Timothy Dehaan of Atlanta with four bass weighing 9 pounds, 11 ounces that earned him $1,136. Finishing third was Edwin Hunt of Duluth, Ga., with a five-bass catch that weighed 9 pounds worth $772. Tied for fourth were George Goodman Jr. of Monticello, Ga., and Bobby Duncan of Leesburg, Ga. Both anglers caught three bass weighing 8 pounds, 11 ounces that earned them $545 each.

Christopher Caldwell of Sherwood, Ark., caught a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass to win Co-angler Division big-bass honors and $440.

Following the regular season, the top 30 Bulldog 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 LBL, Mountain 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 Bulldog 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 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.