COLUMBUS POOL, Miss. – Boater Brad McCulley of Batesville, Miss., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division tournament on Columbus Pool Saturday with a three-bass catch weighing 11 pounds, 4 ounces. The victory earned McCulley $3,607 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.
McCulley fished a June-bug Zoom Brush Hog in grass patches to catch his bass.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Jerry Gilliam of Ethelsville, Ala. (five bass, 11-2, $2,122); Bobby Harrell of Biloxi, Miss. (five bass, 10-4, $1,413); Timmy Ming of Louisville, Miss. (five bass, 9-5, $919); and Shan Schoenrock of Aliceville, Ala. (five bass, 9-5, $919).
McCulley took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $600 for a 7-pound, 3-ounce bass.
Grant Galloway of Houlka, Miss., earned $2,122 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 9 pounds, 7 ounces that he caught while fishing a shaky head jig on ledges.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Lance Jackson of Starkville, Miss. (three bass, 8-9, $1,061); Larry Ballinger of Carthage, Miss. (four bass, 8-1, $707); Mark Sullivan of Collinsville, Miss. (three bass, 6-11, $495); and James Wood of Osceola, Ark. (three bass, 6-5, $424).
Jackson earned $300 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 12-ounce bass.
The Mississippi Division’s next event will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 8-9 on Lake Ferguson in Greenville, Miss.
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 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.