Lieblong wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League event on Lake Ouachita

MOUNT IDA, Ark. – Boater Jason Lieblong of Conway, Ark., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division tournament on Lake Ouachita Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 16 pounds. The victory earned Lieblong $4,535 plus an $800 Ranger bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Wright Patman Lake Regional Championship in Texarkana, Texas, Oct. 25-27, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Lieblong fished the north end of the lake and used a red Rat-L-Trap in 5 to 10 feet of water to catch his limit.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Brandon Rhoden of Grapevine, Ark., (five bass, 15-9, $2,668); Jimmy Brown of Little Rock, Ark., (five bass, 15-3, $1,780); Leroy Arnold of Little Rock, Ark., (five bass, 13-14, $1,245) and Mike Mobley of Benton, Ark., (five bass, 13-0, $1,067).

Robert Stevens of Hot Springs, Ark., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $840 for a 7-pound, 7-ounce bass.

Kevin Thompson of Mabelvale, Ark., earned $2,636 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 12 pounds, 13 ounces that he caught while fishing a green pumpkin lead-head worm.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Bobby Reed of Sheridan, Ark., (four bass, 12-0, $1,318); Ben Hicks of Hensley, Ark., (three bass, 8-0, $879); Brian Story of Cabot, Ark., (two bass, 7-15, $615) and Ray Cates of Texarkana, Ark., (two bass, 7-10, $505) and Richard Hill of Royal, Ark., (three bass, 7-10, $505) tied for fifth.

Cates earned $415 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 11-ounce bass.

The Arkie Division’s next event will be March 31 on DeGray Lake in Arkadelphia, Ark., followed by a tournament May 5 on Greers Ferry in Greers Ferry, Ark. The division’s fourth event will be held June 9 on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Ark., and the final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Oct. 6-7 on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Ark.

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 Wright Patman Lake 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.