Crain wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Weiss Lake

CENTRE, Ala. – Boater George Crain of Cropwell, Ala., earned $5,368 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division event on Weiss Lake. The tournament was the third of five regular-season Choo Choo Division events and featured 170 boaters vying for the win, which earned Crain 200 points in the Boater Division.

Crain’s winning catch of five bass weighed 18 pounds, 11 ounces. He threw a combination of buzzbait’s and crankbaits in shallow water. Crain also took the Boater Division big-bass award with a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters were Steve Burchfield of Rainbow City, Ala. (five bass, 16 pounds, 4 ounces, $2,684); T. Jay Smith of Fort Payne, Ala. (five bass, 16 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,789); Jay Kendrick of Ooltewah, Tenn. (five bass, 16 pounds, 1 ounces, $1,253); and Clark Smith Jr. of Pell City, Ala., (five bass, 15 pounds, 3 ounces, $1,074).

David Bailey of Leoma, Tenn., bested 170 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,648 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 13 pounds, 1 ounce.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers were, tied for second, Tim Cummings of Waynesboro, Tenn. and Steven Holt of Tuscumbia, Ala. (five bass, 11 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,117); Corey Bradley of Chattanooga, Tenn., Gerald Cornwell, of Ooltewah, Tenn., and Eric Stewart of Calhoun, Ga. tied for third place (five bass, 10 pounds, 12 ounces, $551); and Dale Carver of Dora, Ala. (five bass, 10 pounds, 11 ounces, $447).

Bradley also earned $422 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 14-ounce bass.

The Choo Choo Division’s next event will be held June 3 on Lake Neely Henry near Gadsden, Ala., followed by the divisions two-day Super Tournament on Lake Guntersville near Scottsboro, Ala., Sept. 23-24.

Following the regular season, the Choo Choo 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 Choo Choo Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Lake Demopolis Regional Championship near Demopolis, Ala., Oct. 19-21 where they will compete against Everglades, Mississippi and Seminole 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.