Dowd wins Walmart BFL event on Detroit River

TRENTON, Mich. – Boater Mark Dowd of Livonia, Mich., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League Michigan Division tournament on the Detroit River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 25 pounds. The victory earned Dowd $3,431 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Cherokee Lake Regional Championship in Morristown, Tenn., Oct. 16-18, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

“It was a great feeling to win this tournament,” Dowd said. “I have been close a few times but I always fell short.”

Dowd caught his Detroit River bass in 23 feet of water using a variety of baits that included- a crankbait, drop-shot and tube.

“I was done fishing at 10:30 in the morning and once I looked at the scales, I knew that with the weight I had that it would be tough to beat,” Dowd added. “So, I felt confident going to weigh-in.”

Rounding out the top five boaters are Steve Clapper of Lima, Ohio (five bass, 23-14, $2,019); Michael Trombly of Perrysburg, Ohio (four bass, 23-4, $1,345); Jim Hull of Sidney, Ohio (five bass, 22-8, $942) and Robert Barta of Deerfield, Mich. (five bass, 22-2, $807).

Dowd took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $545 for a 6-pound bass he caught on a Lucky Craft Moonsault CB 350.

David Adams of Schererville, Ind., earned $1,944 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 20 pounds, 7 ounces that he caught fishing deep on Lake Erie.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Joshua Heintschel of Curtice, Ohio (five bass, 20-1, $972); William Schwartz of Avon Lake, Ohio (five bass, 19-1, $649); Bob Eastman of Hartland, Mich. (five bass, 18-11, $454) and Craig Scherbarth of Royal Oak, Mich. (five bass, 18-5, $389).

Brian Clark of Ceresco, Mich., earned $262 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass he caught on Lake St. Clair fishing a tube.

A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on the Detroit River in Trenton Sept. 27-28.

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 Cherokee 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 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 Forrest Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the sport’s biggest championship.

Tournament anglers aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing, FLW Outdoors offered anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players could become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, which provided them with exclusive insider information that could have guided them to a $100,000 victory at every Walmart FLW Tour stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage gave them an edge over the competition and increased their shot for the $1 million cash grand prize awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Visit FantasyFishing.com today to find out more information and to register for next season.

The $8.8 million Walmart 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.

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player’s Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.

Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.