Ritter takes BFL Super Tournament on Mississippi River

LACROSSE, Wis. – Boater Jeff Ritter of Prairie Du Chien, Wis., earned 300 points and $5,648 Sunday as the winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Great Lakes Division Super Tournament on the Mississippi River.

Ritter’s two-day winning catch of 10 bass weighed 29 pounds, 2 ounces. He was throwing a Bronze Eye Frog around the edges of grass beds to catch his bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Thomas Boynton of LeClaire, Iowa (10 bass, 28 pounds, 1 ounces, $2,824); Douglas Stanton of Winona, Minn. (10 bass, 27 pounds, 9 ounces, $1,882); Dan Thill of LaCrosse, Wis. (10 bass, 27 pounds, 6 ounces, $1,318); and Mike Brueggen of Cashton, Wis. (10 bass, 26 pounds, 14 ounces, $1,130).

Brueggen also won the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 2-ounce bass that earned him an additional $750.

Richie Eaves of Nauvoo, Ill., took home $500 for being the highest-placing Ranger Cup participant.

Michael Syjud of Shorewood, Ill., earned $2,824 as the co-angler winner thanks to 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 11 ounces that he caught on a Zoom Horny Toad thrown over submerged grass beds.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Al Kjos of LaCrosse, Wis. (10 bass, 23 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,412); Richard Conrad of Eau Claire, Wis. (10 bass, 23 pounds, 1 ounce, $940); Kent Keeshan of Bettendorf, Iowa (eight bass, 22 pounds, 11 ounces, $659); and Dave Knutstrom of Stronghurst, Ill. (eight bass, 19 pounds, 3 ounces, $565).

Kevin Anderson of Ettrick, Wis., earned $375 as the co-angler Snickers Big Bass winner with a 4-pound bass.

The top 40 Great Lakes Division boaters and 40 co-anglers, based on year-end points standings, will now advance to the no-entry-fee Fort Madison Regional Championship near Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 5-7, where they will compete against Illini, Michigan and Ozark division anglers for a new Ranger boat, as well as 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 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 Great Lakes Division standings, visit 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 visit 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.