Martin makes grade on Dale Hollow Lake

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. – Boater Eddie Martin of Stanton, Ky., earned $5,443 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Mountain Division event on Dale Hollow Lake. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Mountain Division events and featured 173 boaters vying for the win, which earned Martin 200 points in the Boater Division.

Martin’s winning catch of five bass weighed 22 pounds, 8 ounces. He caught his bass on a white spinnerbait back in creeks and pockets.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Gary Smith of Clinton, Tenn. (five bass, 19 pounds, 9 ounces $2,722); Richard Littlepage of Cincinnati, Ohio (four bass, 17 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,814); Jack Poindexter of Livingston, Tenn. (five bass, 17 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,270) and Freddy Adkins of East Bernstadt, Ky. (five bass, 16 pounds, $1,089).

Gary Bowens of Byrdstown took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $865 for a 6-pound, 11-ounce bass.

Barry Dick of Somerset, Ky., won the Co-angler Division to earn $2,706 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 17 pounds, 12 ounces. He was also throwing a white spinnerbait in the backs of pockets.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Richard Cobb of Richmond, Ky. (four bass, 10 pounds, 13 ounces, $1,353); Richard Snowden of Berea, Ky., (five bass, 9 pounds, 9 ounces, $905) Earl Merritt of Berea, Ky., (five bass, 9 pounds, 8 ounces, $631) and Paul Flatt of Cookeville, Tenn. (four bass, 9 pounds, 7 ounces, $541).

Wesley Scott Bruner of Corbin, Ky., earned $430 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 6-pound, 2-ounce bass.

The Mountain Division’s next event will be held April 29 on Lake Douglas near Sevierville, Tenn., followed by an event on Lake Cherokee near Morristown, Tenn., May 20. The Mountain Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 23-24 with a two-day Super Tournament on the Barren River near Scottsville, Ky.

Following the regular season, the Mountain 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 Mountain Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Kentucky Lake Regional Championship near Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 19-21 where they will compete against Buckeye, Hoosier and Bama 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.