Thacker wins Kentucky Lake Regional, advances to All-American

Boater Gary Thacker of Athens, Ala., leads the list of six anglers who earned a ticket to the 2005 All-American at this weekend’s Wal-Mart BFL Kentucky Lake Regional presented by Yamaha. Angler: Gary Thacker.

October 16, 2004 • MLF • Archives

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Boater Gary Thacker of Athens, Ala., leads the list of six anglers who earned a ticket to the 2005 All-American at this weekend’s Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Kentucky Lake Regional presented by Yamaha. Qualifying anglers from four BFL divisions advanced to the regional, and Thacker topped the leaderboard with a three-day catch of 13 bass weighing 34 pounds, 5 ounces that earned him a new Chevy truck and an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger boat.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers from the Choo Choo, Great Lakes, Hoosier and Michigan divisions comprised the Kentucky Lake Regional field. Thacker, a Choo Choo Division angler, caught 13 pounds, 5 ounces on day one and followed that up with another 12 pounds, 14 ounces on day two, and he wrapped up the win with a final-day catch that weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a top-water.

Rounding out the Boater Division anglers heading to the All-American are Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio (14 bass, 26 pounds, 6 ounces, $5,000); Brent Crow of Hartselle, Ala. (eight bass, 23 pounds, 8 ounces, $2,500); Michael Bryson of Lafayette, Ga. (10 bass, 23 pounds, 8 ounces, $2,000); Ryan Deal of Haubstadt, Ind. (10 bass, 21 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,500); and Mark Stewart of Springville, Ala. (five bass, 15 pounds, 10 ounces, $1,100).

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

Hartselle, Ala., resident Davey Lance won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of nine bass weighing 26 pounds, 15 ounces. He caught his winning stringer on a top-water. Lance advanced to the regional from the Choo Choo Division, where he ranked seventh in year-end points standings. He won an Evinrude- or Yamaha-powered Ranger boat for his regional win.

Rounding out the top six co-anglers who will advance to the All-American are James Richardson Sr. of Harrison, Ohio (eight bass, 19 pounds, 5 ounces, $2,500); Brent Nelson of Acworth, Ga. (10 bass, 17 pounds, 6 ounces, $1,250); Dave Durbala of Fort Madison, Iowa (six bass, 13 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,000); Matt Linton of South Bend, Ind. (five bass, 11 pounds, 2 ounces, $750); and Michael Huffman of Fort Madison, Iowa (seven bass, 11 pounds, $550).

All-American qualifiers from the Kentucky Lake Regional presented by Yamaha will join competitors that advance from five other regionals plus the Chevy Trucks Wild Card for an All-American field of 42 boaters and 42 co-anglers. The All-American is one of the most prestigious and storied events in competitive bass fishing as well as one of the most lucrative – the winning boater will earn $100,000 cash and the winning boater will earn $50,000 cash. The location and date of the 2005 All-American will be announced at a later date.

In regional competition, the full field competes for two days to determine the top six that advance to day three, where they compete for position and prizes. All six automatically advance to the All-American.

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, call (270) 252-1000 or browse this Web site.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its eight 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.