Fox earns BFL victory on Kerr Lake

Boater Lonnie Fox (left) of Bahama, N.C., earned $6,011 March 18 as winner of the Wal-Mart BFL Piedmont Division event on Kerr Lake. Ben Dacey of Chesterfield, Va., earned $3,006 as the co-angler winner. Anglers: Lonnie Fox, Ben Dacey.

March 18, 2006 • MLF • Archives

HENDERSON, N.C. – Boater Lonnie Fox of Bahama, N.C., earned $6,011 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division event on Kerr Lake. The tournament was the first of five regular-season Piedmont Division events and featured a full field of boaters vying for the win, which earned Fox 200 points in the Boater Division.

Fox’s winning catch of five bass weighed 21 pounds, 8 ounces. He was fishing a jerkbait around rocky midlake points to catch his bass. He earned an additional $1,000 as winner of the Ranger Cup award.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Edward Smith of Forest, Va. (five bass, 18 pounds, 13 ounces, $3,006); David Galloway of Raleigh, N.C. (four bass, 16 pounds, 5 ounces, $2,001); Lee Williams of Durham, N.C. (five bass, 15 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,403) and Carlton Owens Jr. of Franklin, Va. (five bass, 15 pounds, 11 ounces, $1,202).

Larry Inman of Greensboro, N.C., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $995 for a 7-pound, 1-ounce bass he caught on a Lucky Craft jerkbait.

Ben Dacey of Chesterfield, Va., earned $3,006 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 1 ounce that he caught fishing a jerkbait.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Greg Scott of Wytheville, Va. (four bass, 12 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,503); Mike McCarthy of Jacksonville, N.C., (three bass, 12 pounds, 11 ounces, $1,008) Darrin Kenyon of Mebane, N.C., (four bass, 12 pounds, $701) and Brian Young of Kill Devil Hills, N.C. (three bass, 11 pounds, 6 ounces, $601).

Bradley Underwood of Roanoke, Va., earned $497 as the co-angler big-bass award winner, thanks to a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass.

Piedmont Division anglers will next visit Lake Gaston in Bracey, Va., April 8 for their second regular-season event, followed by an event on Jordan Lake in Apex, N.C., May 13. The division’s fourth qualifying event will be held at Kerr Lake in Henderson June 24. A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will also be held on Kerr Lake in Henderson Sept. 23-24. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse FLWOutdoors.com.

Following the regular season, the Piedmont 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 Piedmont Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Smith Mountain Regional Championship near Moneta, Va., Oct. 19-21 where they will compete against Empire, North Carolina and Northeast 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.

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.