Hull best boater on Detroit River

TRENTON, Mich. – Boater Jim Hull of Sidney, Ohio, won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division tournament on the Detroit River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 22 pounds, 14 ounces. The victory earned Hull $3,400 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Mississippi River Regional Championship in Fort Madison, Iowa on Oct. 4-6, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Hull caught his bass on Lake Erie using a Berkley Gulp Minnow on a drop-shot rig to catch his limit.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Seth Valentine of Wixom, Mich. (five bass, 20-10, $2,000); Joe Balog of Harrison Township, Mich. (five bass, 20-6, $1,334); Cecil Cole of Durand, Mich. (five bass, 20-3, $933); and Donald Hewkin of Zion, Ill. (five bass, 20-0, $800).

Balog and John Zubkoff of Monroe, Mich., each took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $270 for a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass.

Robert Scott of Howell, Mich., earned $2,000 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces that he caught while fishing a tube on the main river.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jeremy Baker of Clay, Mich. (five bass, 18-8, $1,000); Robert Hernandez of Dearborn, Mich. (five bass, 18-7, $666); Joe Wong of Hartford City, Ind. (five bass, 17-9, $467); and John Serniak of Yale, Mich. (five bass, 17-6, $400).

Scott and Mike Moran of Highland, Mich., each earned $135 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass.

The final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 15-16 on the Detroit River in Trenton.

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 Mississippi 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.