Reagan rivals BFL competition at Dale Hollow Lake

BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. – Boater Robert Reagan of Byrdstown, Tenn., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Mountain Division tournament on Dale Hollow Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 15 pounds, 15 ounces. The victory earned Reagan $4,298 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Kentucky Lake Regional Championship in Gilbertsville, Ky., Oct. 18-20, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Reagan was throwing a combination of jigs and crankbaits around heavy cover to catch his bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Todd Beaty of Cookeville, Tenn. (three bass, 15-2, $2,528); Jim Dean of Huntington, W.Va. (three bass, 8-9, $1,685); Bob Johnson of Cecilia, Ky. (two bass, 8-2, $1,108) and Gary Bowens of Byrdstown, Tenn. (three bass, 7-12, $1,011).

Beaty took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $780 for a6-pound, 4-ounce bass.

Dean also took home the Boater Division Ranger Cup contingency award of $500 for being the highest-placing Ranger owner in that division.

Kenny Botts of Tompkinsville, Ky., earned $2,528 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 19 pounds, 11 ounces that he caught while fishing jigs and crankbaits at various depths.

Botts also earned an additional $390 for winning the Snickers Big Bass award in the co-angler division with a 5 pound, 7 ounce bass.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Kibbee McCoy of Crossville, Tenn. (three bass, 7-13, $1,264); Trent Norman of Cincinnati, Ohio (two bass, 7-7, $845); Charles Murphy of Pine Knot, Ky. (two bass, 6-6, $590) and Mark Fox of McKee, Ky. (two bass, 6-2, $506).

The Mountain Division’s next event will be March 24 on Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tenn., followed by a tournament April 28 on Laurel River Lake in London, Ky. The division’s fourth event will be held June 9 on Barren River in Glasgow, Ky., and the final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 15-16 on the Barren River in Glasgow, Ky.

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 Kentucky 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.