Sain wins Wal-Mart BFL event on Old Hickory Lake

GALLATIN, Tenn. – Boater Jason Sain of Beechgrove earned $2,981 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Music City Division event on Old Hickory Lake. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Music City Division events and earned Sain 200 points in the Boater Division.

Sain’s winning catch of five bass weighed 17 pounds, 11 ounces. Sain threw a jig and a Carolina rig around mid-lake ledges to catch his bass.

Finishing second was Gary Clouse of La Vergne with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 12 ounces that earned him $1,491. David Barnett of Murfreesboro claimed $975 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 6 ounces. In fourth were Beau Grissim of Lebanon and Joseph Rahuba of Gallatin. Both anglers caught five bass weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces worth $691.

Stephen Whitaker of Scottsville earned $500 as winner of the Ranger Cup award.

Bryan Montgomery of Lebanon and Jason Moss of Castalian Springs tied for Boater Division big-bass award honors. Both anglers caught a 7-pound bass worth $207.50.

Billy Burgess of Hendersonville earned $1,491 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces that he caught on jigs and Carolina rigs.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Cory Cox of Rogersville, Ala. (five bass, 15 pounds, 7 ounces, $745); Kirk Morton of Murfreesboro (three bass, 13 pounds, 6 ounces, $489); Ronald Perry of Portland (four bass, 10 pounds, 13 ounces, $379); and Bill Dickinson of Brentwood (four bass, 9 pounds, 10 ounces, $312).

Morton earned $208 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass he caught on a sweet beaver.

The Music City Division will wrap up its regular season Oct. 1-2 with a two-day Super Tournament on Old Hickory Lake near Gallatin.

Following the regular season, the Music City Division boater with the most points will earn $1,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler amassing the most points will earn $500 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion 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 40 Music City Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kerr Lake Regional near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 18-22 where they will compete against Empire, Mountain and Northeast Division anglers for one of six slots in the 2006 All-American. With a total purse of $1 million and a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing.

The $8.4 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 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 visit FLWOutdoors.com.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214 events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor of America’s largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments, including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.