Johnson takes top honors at BFL event on Choke Canyon Reservoir

Boater A R Johnson of Garwood, Texas, earned $3,804 Feb. 11 as winner of the BFL Cowboy Division event on Choke Canyon Reservoir. Angler: A R Johnson.

February 11, 2006 • MLF • Archives

CALLIHAM, Texas – Boater A R Johnson of Garwood, Texas, earned $3,804 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division event on Choke Canyon Reservoir. The tournament was the first of five regular-season Cowboy Division events and earned Johnson 200 points in the Boater Division.

Johnson’s winning catch of five bass weighed 22 pounds, 8 ounces. Johnson caught his winning limit flipping timber with a watermelon-red Zoom Brush Hog.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Bobby Applegate of Murchison, Texas (five bass, 19 pounds, 11 ounces, $1,902); Charles Whited of San Marcos, Texas (five bass, 18 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,267); Richard Cathey of San Antonio, Texas (five bass, 18 pounds, 2 ounces, $888) and Derick Kuyrkendall of Boerne, Texas (four bass, 17 pounds, 13 ounces, $761).

Jim Pruitt of Houston, Texas, took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $505 for an 11-pound, 8-ounce bass. Pruitt caught the giant largemouth, one of the largest ever caught in BFL history, from timber in 9 feet of water on a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.

Ricky Campbell of Waxahachie, Texas, earned $750 as winner of the Ranger Cup and Powered by Yamaha awards.

Jesse Fry of College Station, Texas, earned $1,902 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces that he caught on a Brush Hog.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Billy Robbins Jr. of Navasota, Texas (five bass, 16 pounds, 14 ounces, $951); Johnny Chandler of Lohn, Texas (five bass, 16 pounds, 12 ounces, $634); Frank Kirk of Athens, Texas (five bass, 16 pounds, 4 ounces, $444); and Scott Landon of Bryan, Texas (four bass, 15 pounds, 11 ounces, $380).

Darrell Noster of Houston earned $252 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 10-pound, 1-ounce bass he caught on a white and chartreuse spinnerbait.

The Cowboy Division’s next event will be held March 4 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir near Jasper, Texas, followed by an event on Cedar Creek near Log Cabin, Texas, April 8. The fourth event will be held April 29 on Lake Palestine near Flint, Texas and the Cowboy Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 30-31 with a two-day Super Tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir near Jasper.

Following the regular season, the Cowboy Division boater with the most points who advances farthest in the Wal-Mart BFL All-American will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler points champion who advances farthest will earn $5,000 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 Cowboy Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Wright Patman Regional Championship near Texarkana, Texas, Oct. 19-21 where they will compete against Arkie, Louisiana and Okie division anglers for one of six slots in the 2007 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 $8.8 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 browse FLWOutdoors.com.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, as well as the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $36.9 million through 241 events in 2006.

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.