Fore takes top honors on Kerr Lake

HENDERSON, N.C. – Boater Edward Fore of Concord, Va., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division tournament on Kerr Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 18 pounds, 3 ounces. The victory earned Fore $4,417 plus a $779 Ranger Boat contingency bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Potomac River Regional Championship in Marbury, Md., Oct. 11-13, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Fore caught his big bass by fishing a crankbait on rocky points.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Robert Walser of Lexington, N.C. (five bass, 17-9, $2,598); Jimmy Porter of Wake Forest, N.C. (five bass, 14-12, $1,733); Christopher Burns of Durham, N.C. (five bass, 14-7, $1,213); and Scott Mooneyham of Fayetteville, N.C. (four bass, 13-10, $1,039).

Mooneyham and William Dorton of Church Road, Va., tied to take home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, each earning $405 for a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass.

Kirk Horton of Fredericksburg, Va., earned $2,561 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 10 pounds, 6 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Bowman Gray of Winterville, N.C. (five bass, 9-15, $1,280); Michael Roy of Charlottesville, Va. (five bass, 9-9, $854); Chris Whittaker of Ruther Glen, Va. (five bass, 9-8, $598); and Trip Emerson of Dry Fork, Va. (three bass, 8-9, $512).

Eric Christian of Burlington, N.C., earned $395 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass.

The Piedmont Division’s next event will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 29-30 on Kerr Lake in Henderson, N.C.

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 Potomac River 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 241 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 Walmart.com.

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