Freeze wins Walmart BFL event on Lake Murray

Scott Peavy of Ridgeway, S.C., earned $2,253 as the co-angler winner Saturday

PROSPERITY, S.C. – Maurice Freeze of Concord, N.C., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division tournament on Lake Murray Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 18 pounds, 14 ounces. The victory earned Freeze $4,507 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Lake Norman Regional Championship in Lake Norman, N.C., Oct. 22-24, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

“During practice on Thursday I found a bunch of fish,” said Freeze. “The tournament went well for me as it did for my co-angler.”

Freeze caught his limit on a crankbait and jig.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Larry Moss of Prosperity, S.C. (five bass, 18-10, $2,253); Davey Thomas of Sumter, S.C. (five bass, 18-9, $1,502); Sean Anderson of Saluda, S.C. (five bass, 18-4, $1,052) and Brent Long of Cornelius, N.C. (five bass, 17-13, $901).

Anderson took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $655 for a 7-pound, 3-ounce bass he caught.

Scott Peavy of Ridgeway, S.C., earned $2,253 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 16 pounds, 11 ounces.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Christopher Browning of Cayce, S.C. (five bass, 14-11, $1,127); Rufus (Doc) McDaniel of Mooresboro, N.C. (five bass, 13-0, $751); Chuck Poovey of Denver, N.C. (five bass, 11-5, $526); and Thomas Miller of Black Mountain, N.C. (five bass, 10-12, $451).

Co-Anglers Jeff Bailey of Inman, S.C., and Keith Britt of Summerville, S.C., each earned $163 as the co-angler Big Bass winners after catching a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass.

The next South Carolina Division event will be held on Santee Cooper in Summerton, S.C., March 7.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFL’s 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition.

The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee 2010 Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series™ for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Walmart FLW Tour.

In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament circuit.

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

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. FLW Outdoors also is taking fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing, offering the largest awards possible in the history of fantasy sports, $10 million in cash and prizes. Sign up for Player’s Advantage for only $10 to get your edge and win.

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