Barclay bests Bama Division boaters on Lake Guntersville

Boater Clay Barclay of Scottsboro, Ala., won the Feb. 17 BFL Bama Division tournament on Lake Guntersville to earn $4,914. Angler: Clay Barclay.

February 17, 2007 • MLF • Archives

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – Boater Clay Barclay of Scottsboro, Ala., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Bama Division tournament on Lake Guntersville Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 25 pounds, 2 ounces. The victory earned Barclay $4,914 plus an $867 Ranger bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Fort Loudin-Tellico Lakes Regional Championship in Lenoir City, Tenn., Oct. 18-20, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Barclay caught his fish on a Rat-L-Trap and jerkbait fishing main lake humps. Barclay said he targeted scattered grass and endured the slow bite, culling two fish.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Alan Ray Smart of Pisgah, Ala., (five bass, 24-11, $2,891); Randall Tharp of Gardendale, Ala., (five bass, 24-8, $1,925); Gerald Gann of Bridgeport, Ala., (five bass, 22-7, $1,349) and Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tenn., (five bass, 21-2, $1,156).

Tony Pendley of Oakman, Ala., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $950 for a 10-pound, 1-ounce bass.

Rusty Mayfield of Heflin, Ala., earned $2,891 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 21 pounds, 11 ounces that he caught while fishing a Rat-L-Trap and jerkbait in shallow water.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Anthony Atchley of Bryant, Ala., (five bass, 19-5, $1,445); Layne King of Owens Cross Roads, Ala., (five bass, 18-8, $964); Kerry White of Hixson, Tenn., (five bass, 17-8, $675) and Greg Diggs of Hokes Bluff, Ala., (five bass, 16-11, $578).

Todd McAdams of Fayetteville, Tenn., earned $475 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching an 8-pound, 14-ounce bass.

The Bama Division’s next event will be March 24 on Weiss Lake in Centre, Ala., followed by a tournament May 12 on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala. The division’s fourth event will be held June 30 on Neely Henry in Gadsden, Ala., and the final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 15-16 on Lake Guntersville in Scottsboro, Ala.

Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on year-end points standings in the division will advance to the no-entry-fee Fort Loudin-Tellico Lakes Regional Championship where they will compete against top qualifiers from three other BFL divisions. At the Regional Championship boaters will fish for a new Ranger boat and Chevy truck and co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger boat. The top six boaters and top six co-anglers at the Regional Championship will also advance to the 2008 All-American presented by Chevy. With a total purse of $1 million, a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and as much as $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing. The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American also advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the sport’s biggest championship.

The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired. Boaters supply the boat and fish from the front deck against other boaters while co-anglers compete 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, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, 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 will offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 238 events in 2007.

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.

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