Keel wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on West Point Lake

LANETT, Ala. – Boater Mike Keel of Auburn, Ala., earned $5,133 and 200 points in the Boater Division Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Dixie Division event on West Point Lake. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Dixie Division events.

Keel caught a five-bass limit that weighed 15 pounds, 1 ounce.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Scott Hayes of Newman, Ga. (five bass, 13 pounds, 13 ounces, $2,566); Jerry McClure of Conyers, Ga. (five bass, 12 pounds, $1,710); Bubba Siren of Conyers, Ga. (four bass, 11 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,198); and Scott Canterbury of Odenville Ala. (five bass, 11 pounds, $1,027).

Hayes took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $800 for a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass.

Donald Roberts of Riverside, Ala., won the Co-angler Division to earn $2,566 thanks to five bass weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Scott Loftin of Powder Springs, Ga. (two bass, 7 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,283); Morgan Brown of Stockton, Ala. (two bass, 7 pounds, 9 ounces, $855); Anthony Davis of McCalla, Ala. (five bass, 7 pounds, 7 ounces, $599); and Jeff Howe of Canton, Ga. (two bass, 7 pounds, 6 ounces, $513).

Brown earned $400 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 6-pound, 8-ounce bass.

The Dixie Division’s final regular-season event will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 16-17 on Lake Logan Martin near Alexander City, Ala.

Following the regular season, the Dixie 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 Dixie Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Lake Chickamauga Regional Championship near Hixson, Tenn., Oct. 12-14 where they will compete against Bulldog, LBL and Music City 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 FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners’ Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, browse FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.