Chandler outfishes field on Kentucky, Barkley lakes - Major League Fishing

Chandler outfishes field on Kentucky, Barkley lakes

Berryhill takes Co-angler Division
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Boater Ryan Chandler of Hobart, Ind., won the March 14 BFL LBL Division tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes to earn $5,154. Angler: Ryan Chandler.
March 14, 2009 • MLF • Archives

GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. – Ryan Chandler of Hobart, Ind., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League LBL Division tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 29 pounds. The victory earned Chandler $5,154 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Fort Madison Regional Championship in Fort Madison, Iowa, Oct. 1-3, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

“Once I weighed in, I saw I had 29 pounds and knew if anyone else had caught that much I would have had a heart attack,” said Chandler.

Chandler caught his limit by noon, fishing south of Paris, Tenn., using a shad jerkbait by Lucky Craft.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Ron Peckenpaugh of Louisville, Ky. (five bass, 22-2, $2,577); Jeff Evans of Benton, Ky. (five bass, 21-4, $1,719); Harold Buchmeier of Anna, Ill. (four bass, 20-1, $1,203); and Jeff Siress of Benton, Ky. (five bass, 19-9, $1,031).

Benjamin Parker took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $795 for an 8-pound, 2-ounce bass he caught.

Jeff Berryhill of Paris, Tenn., earned $2,577 as the co-angler winner of the March 14 BFL LBL Division event.Jeff Berryhill of Paris, Tenn., earned $2,577 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 20 pounds, 2 ounces that he caught on a jerkbait.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Brian Gray of Watseka, Ill. (five bass, 16-6, $1,288); Rodney Childerson of Pocahontas, Ill. (five bass, 15-7, $858); Scott Brown of Louisville, Ky. (five bass, 14-14, $601); and Corey Jones of Jackson, Tenn. (three bass, 13-7, $515).

Co-Anglers Jeff Berryhill and Todd Schmitz earned $198 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass.

The next LBL Division event will be held on the Kentucky/Barkley Lakes in Gilbertsville, Ky., April 4.

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.

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