Allen Takes BFL on the Potomac
Category: Tournament
May 12th, 2008 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified May 12th, 2008 at 12:00 AM
MARBURY, Md. (May 12, 2008) – Boater Richard Allen Jr. of Westminster, Md., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League® Northeast Division tournament on the Potomac River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounce. The victory earned Allen $4,261 plus a $752 Ranger contingency bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Albemarle Sound Regional Championship in Elizabeth City, N.C., Oct. 9-11, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
“It was one of those days you dream of,” Allen said. “We caught so many fish it was unbelievable; my co-angler and I caught about 60 fish between us, and about two-thirds of them were keepers.”
Allen caught the majority of his bigger fish in the morning throwing a 4-inch green-pumpkin Senko on the pea gravel banks of a point, until a storm blew up.
“We were only able to stay on that point for a couple hours before we got blown off,” Allen said. “There were 4-foot white caps, and I couldn’t control the boat.”
Allen moved on to his second spot, where he stayed the remainder of the day, catching his fish on a ¼- and ½-ounce gold Rat-L-Trap.
Rounding out the top five boaters are William Closson of Beverly Hills, Fla. (five bass, 17-13, $2,507); Darrin Orsargos of Homer City, Pa. (five bass, 17-07, $1,670); James Pilot of Clinton, Md. (five bass, 16-13, $1,170) and Darin Hoover of Pasadena, Md., and Doug Mayo of Odenton, Md. (five bass, 16-08, $961).
Wayne Laubach of Joppa, Md., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $765 for a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass.
Bryon Powell of Malaga, N.J., earned $2,507 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 21 pounds, 7 ounces.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Kevin Sydnor of Huntingtown, Md. (five bass, 20-07, $1,253); Frederick Salzman of Blackwood, N.J. (five bass, 17-13, $837); Larry Drewett of Sterling, Va. (five bass, 16-03, $585) and David Lloyd of Bridgeton, N.J. (five bass, 15-12, $501).
Powell earned $382 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 2-ounce bass.
Northeast Division anglers will visit the Potomac River in Marbury, Md., June 7 for their second regular-season event, followed by an event on Chesapeake Bay in North East, Md., June 28. The division’s fourth qualifying event will be held on Chesapeake Bay in North East, Md., Aug. 9. A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on the Potomac River in Marbury, Md., 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 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.
Tournament anglers aren’t the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing™, FLW Outdoors® offers 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 can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player’s Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour® stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player’s Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player’s Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.
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. 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.