Boater Charles Main of Ellwood, Pa., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League® Buckeye Division tournament on Lake Chautauqua Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 22 pounds, 6 ounces. The victory earned Main $2,456 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Albemarle Sound Regional Championship in Elizabeth Sound, N.C., Oct. 9-11, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
Main caught his bass flipping docks and deep weed lines throwing jigs and tubes.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Jack Bell of Kane, Pa. (five bass, 17-10, $1,445); Monte Atkins of Greenville, Va. (five bass, 16-09, $964); Mike Kozell of Lancaster, N.Y. (five bass, 16-01, $674) and Bud Schosger of Painted Post, N.Y. (five bass, 15-14, $578).
Main took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $330 for a 5-pound, 14-ounce bass.
Michael Bahnweg of Union Dale, Pa., earned $1,445 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 14 pounds, 8 ounces that he caught on spinnerbaits in 6 to 8 feet of water.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Keith Diluzio of North East, Pa. (five bass, 13-05, $722); Frank Hutchinson of Sewell, N.J. (four bass, 12-02, $480); Bradley Petrie of Johnstown, N.Y. (five bass, 11-05, $337) and John Wolford of Ligonier, Pa. (five bass, 10-14, $289).
Bill Spindler of Turnersville, N.J., earned $165 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass he caught in shallow water on a black Senko.
Anglers will visit Oneida Lake in Brewerton, N.Y., Aug. 30 followed by a two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, on Lake Champlain in Plattsburgh, N.Y., Sept. 20-21.
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 Albemarle Sound 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.
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.
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.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.
Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.
By: Jayme Gordon
