Wray best boater on Table Rock Lake

Bunk best co-angler

BRANSON WEST, Mo. – Boater Josh Wray of Harrison, Ark., earned $5,782 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Ozark Division event on Table Rock Lake. The tournament was the first of five regular-season Ozark Division events and featured 190 boaters vying for the win, which earned Wray 200 points in the Boater Division.

Wray’s winning catch of five bass weighed 23 pounds, 2 ounces.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Jay Beffa of Festus, Mo. (five bass, 17 pounds, 5 ounces, $2,891); Mark Taylor of Mansfield, Mo. (four bass, 16 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,925); Tim Fleetwood of Forsyth, Mo. (five bass, 16 pounds, 4 ounces, $1,349); and Jerry Sniderof Reeds Spring, Mo. (five bass, 15 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,156).

Fleetwood also earned an additional $500 for winning the Ranger Cup contingency award for being the highest placing Ranger Cup participant.

Wray also took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning an additional $950 for an 8-pound bass.

Chris Bunk of Columbia, Mo., won the Co-angler Division to earn $2,775, thanks to four bass weighing 10 pounds, 14 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Josh Busby of Springfield, Mo. (four bass, 10 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,388); Jason Koirtyohann of Marthasville, Mo., (three bass, 10 pounds, 1 ounce, $924); Eric Brantley of Springfield, Mo. (three bass, 8 pounds, 9 ounces, $648) and Scott Ventimglia of Kansas City, Mo. (three bass, 8 pounds, 3 ounces, $555).

Jason Sandidge of Centerton, Ark., earned $445 as the co-angler big-bass award winner.

The Ozark Division’s next event will be held May 20 on Grand Lake near Grove, Okla., followed by an event on Lake Truman near Clinton, Mo., July 22. The Ozark Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 16-17 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake of the Ozarks near Osage Beach, Mo.

Following the regular season, the Ozark 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 Ozark Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Fort Madison Regional Championship near Fort Madison, Iowa Oct. 5-7 where they will compete against Great Lakes, Illini and Michigan 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.