Logan wins Lake Ferguson BFL event

GREENVILLE, Miss. – Boater Division competitor Mark Logan of Memphis, Tenn., earned $3,169 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division event on Lake Ferguson in Greenville. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Mississippi Division events. The regular season will wrap up Sept. 18-19 with a two-day Super Tournament on Ross Barnett in Ridgeland.

Logan bested 104 Boater Division competitors with a five-bass catch weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces. He caught his tournament-winning catch on a crankbait. Logan also earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Jimmy Peel of Greenville (five bass, 16 pounds, 4 ounces, $1,584); Bill Terrell of Bartlett, Tenn. (five bass, 14 pounds, 9 ounces, $1,077); Lloyd Pickett Jr. of Bartlett, Tenn. (five bass, 14 pounds, 4 ounces, $824); and Jason Mabry of Clinton (five bass, 13 pounds, 13 ounces, $697).

Lee Fowinkle of Collierville, Tenn., earned $520 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass he caught on a blue and white spinnerbait.

Wayne Branton of Cordova, Tenn., won the 104-competitor Co-angler Division with a five-bass catch weighing 12 pounds, 2 ounces. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a Brush Hog and earned $1,584 for the win.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Robert Walley of Flowood (five bass, 11 pounds, 15 ounces, $792); Mike Miller of Meridian (five bass, 11 pounds, 6 ounces, $539); Aaron Harrelson of Corinth (five bass, 9 pounds, 9 ounces, $412); and Hunter Breazeale of Knoxville, Tenn. (three bass, 9 pounds, 4 ounces, $349).

Miller and Breazeale tied for co-angler big-bass honors. Both anglers caught a 3-pound, 15-ounce bass to earn $130 each.

Following the regular season, the top 30 Mississippi Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Lake Seminole regional near Bainbridge, Ga., Oct. 5-9. They will compete against qualifying anglers from the Bama, Gator and Piedmont 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 Mississippi 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.