Williams wins BFL Regional on Lake Hartwell
Kurt Moser wins co-angler title
SENECA, S.C. – David Williams of Maiden, N.C., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional on Lake Hartwell Saturday with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 39 pounds, 10 ounces. For his victory, Williams won a 198VX Ranger boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor plus a Chevy 1500 Silverado and a berth in the BFL All-American presented by Chevy. This regional tournament featured the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from the Choo Choo, Gator, North Carolina and Shenandoah divisions of the BFL circuit.
“Fall fishing is not like fishing any other time of the year,” said Williams. “The fish scatter and could be anywhere – you just don’t know. I covered a lot of water during the tournament, and if it looked good, I fished it. I caught bass on docks, points, brush piles and schooling.
“I was using spinnerbaits and jigs all week,” continued Williams. “Most of the bigger fish came on a jig in shallow water. It was just typical fall fishing for me; I tried to cover more water and make more casts than anyone else. You had to struggle for every bite, but it worked out real good for me.”
Williams said that he is looking forward to fishing the BFL All-American at the Potomac River next May with his dad. Gerald Williams finished fifth in the Co-angler Division to qualify for one of bass fishing’s most prestigious events as well.
The remaining top six boaters who also qualified for the BFL All-American:
2nd: Eddie Bussard, Sanford, Fla., 13 bass, 31-13, $1,500
3rd: Chris Baxter, Winder, Ga., 15 bass, 31-10, $1,100
4th: Brian Tidwell, Seneca, S.C., 15 bass, 30-6, $1,000
5th: Steven James, Easley, S.C., 15 bass, 30-6, $900
6th: Conrad Bolt, Seneca, S.C., 15 bass, 30-6, $800
Rounding out the top 10 boaters:
7th: Randy Childers, Anderson, S.C., 15 bass, 30-3, $700
8th: Johnny Patterson, Grant Ala., 15 bass, 28-3, $650
9th: Kelly Logan, Morganton, N.C., 15 bass, 27-13, $600
10th: Johnny Price Jr., Brookwood, Ala., 14 bass, 27-7, $550
Moser winning co-angler
Kurt Moser of Max Meadows, Va., won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 23 pounds, 9 ounces. He took home a 198VX Ranger boat including a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor along with a berth in the BFL All-American presented by Chevy.
The remaining top six co-anglers who also qualified for the BFL All-American:
2nd: Mark Belew, Palmyra, Va., 15 bass, 21-10, $750
3rd: Wayne Smelser, Rural Retreat, Va., 14 bass, 21-2, $550
4th: Donnie Woody, Marion, N.C., 15 bass, 21-1, $500
5th: Gerald Williams, Maiden, N.C., nine bass, 20-0, $450
6th: Jerry Comperatore, Tarentum, Pa., 14 bass, 19-12, $400
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
7th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 19-6, $350
8th: Mike D’Angelo Sr., Remlap, Ala., nine bass, 17-5, $325
9th: Derek Brown, Charlottesville, Va., nine bass, 17-3, $300
10th: William Wood, West Palm Beach, Fla., 11 bass, 16-1, $275
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for one of six regional tournaments and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
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About FLW
FLW Outdoors is the largest tournament-fishing organization in the world, offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing at FantasyFishing.com, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge.