Clapper wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Detroit River

TRENTON, Mich. – Boater Steve Clapper of Lima, Ohio, earned 300 points and $4,604 Sunday as the winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division Super Tournament on the Detroit River. He also earned a $1,000 Ranger Cup bonus for a total of $5,604 in winnings.

Clappers’s two-day winning catch of 10 bass weighed 41 pounds, 6 ounces. He caught his fish on day one from deep-water rock piles by using gobies on a drop-shot rig. On day two, he used an ISG tube near shoreline rock piles.

Rounding out the top five boaters are David Reault of Livonia, Mich. (10 bass, 40 pounds, 7 ounces, $2,302); Mark Modrak of Chesterfield, Mich. (10 bass, 37 pounds, 4 ounces, $1,536); Chad Pipkens of Holt, Mich. (10 bass, 36 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,074); and Scott Webster of Manchester, Mich. (10 bass, 35 pounds, 2 ounces, $921).

Pipkens won the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 14-ounce bass that earned him $540.

Rick Woods of Smiths Creek, Mich., earned $2,302 as the co-angler winner thanks to 10 bass weighing 32 pounds, 15 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Robert Mann of Windsor, Ontario (10 bass, 32 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,151); Philip Borsa of Redford, Mich. (10 bass, 31 pounds, 4 ounces, $767); Scott Noel of Loveland, Ohio (eight bass, 27 pounds, 6 ounces, $537) and Jeffery Cox of Saline, Mich. (10 bass, 25 pounds, 10 ounces, $460).

Leo Reiter of Goshen, Ind., earned $270 as the co-angler Snickers Big Bass winner with a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass.

The top 40 Michigan Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will now advance to the no-entry-fee Mississippi River Regional Championship near Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 5-7, where they will compete against Great Lakes, Illini and Ozark Division anglers for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck in the Boater Division plus six slots in the no-entry-fee 2007 Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. 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 Boater Division points champion who advances the farthest at the All-American will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion. The co-angler points champion who advances the farthest will earn $5,000 as the Yamaha “Be the Best” points champion in the Co-angler Division.

For complete Michigan Division standings, check online at FLWOutdoors.com.

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 or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or browse FLWOutdoors.com.

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.