Shaffer wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Regional on Kentucky Lake
Gist co-angler winner
GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Boater Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio, earned a fully rigged Ranger 519VX and a new Chevy truck Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Regional event on Kentucky Lake. The top 40 boaters and the top 40 co-anglers from the Bama, Buckeye, Hoosier and Mountain divisions competed in the three-day event.
Shaffer’s winning three-day catch of 15 bass weighed 37 pounds, 1 ounce. In addition to the new truck and boat, Shaffer earned a ticket to the 2007 $1 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League All-American, one of the most prestigious tournaments in bass fishing, where the winning boater will earn as much as $140,000 and the winning co-angler will earn as much as $70,000.
Shaffer caught his winning bass by throwing a combination of crankbaits and Texas-rigged soft plastics over submerged grass and wood.
Shaffer won an additional $1,000 for winning the Ranger Cup award.
The top six boaters and the top six co-anglers at the regional championship earned a spot to compete in the All-American. Rounding out the top six boaters were Jason Sain of Beechgrove, Tenn. (14 bass, 36 pounds, 5 ounces, $4,000); Bobby Kilzer of Paris, Tenn. (13 bass, 33 pounds, 14 ounces, $2,000); Don Ingram of Greensburg, Ky. (11 bass, 31 pounds, 6 ounces, $1,600); Calvin Davidson of Plainfield, Ind. (11 bass, 29 pounds, 5 ounces, $1,200); and Gary Thacker of Athens, Ala. (nine bass, 24 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,000).
Chris Gist of Rogersville, Ala., earned a new Ranger boat as the co-angler winner, thanks to a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 20 pounds, 13 ounces that he caught on Carolina-rigged soft plastics around submerged structure.
Rounding out the top six co-anglers were Greg Gilley of Boaz, Ala. (eight bass, 17 pounds, 15 ounces, $2,000); Herman Moore of Seymour, Tenn. (seven bass, 17 pounds, $1,000); Steve Caudill of Morehead, Ky. (six bass, 13 pounds, 14 ounces, $800); William Sentell of Clinton, Tenn. (seven bass, 13 pounds, 9 ounces, $600); and Scott Childers of Indianapolis, Ind. (five bass, 10 pounds, 10 ounces, $500).
As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Ranger pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.
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.