Cobb Wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Event on Barren River
Category: Tournament
May 19th, 2008 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified May 19th, 2008 at 12:00 AM
SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. (May 19, 2008) – Boater Richard Cobb of Richmond, Ky., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League® Mountain Division tournament on Barren River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 16 pounds, 5 ounces. The victory earned Cobb $3,607 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Wheeler Lake Regional Championship in Decatur, Ala., Oct. 9-11, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
“I started out boat No. 111 out of 114,” said Cobb, who posted his second top-10 finish of the year. “And I was the slowest boat in the entire field. I have a 17-foot boat with a 90-horse engine on it. The other three boats passed me up, so I was the last boat.”
Cobb didn’t let that affect his game plan, however. Cobb said he had found fish in a post-spawn pattern during practice, and he repeated his practice routine. Cobb said he used both a jig and a spinnerbait to fill his limit.
“I’m a younger guy, and I always looked up to the guys that won the tournaments,” Cobb said. “It doesn’t feel like it’s real. I didn’t think I was on anything worthwhile to even consider winning.”
Rounding out the top five boaters are Pat Eichmann of Nancy, Ky. (five bass, 15-10, $1,767); Scottie McQueary of Russell Springs, Ky. (five bass, 15-10, $1,767); Kyle Sears of London, Ky. (five bass, 15-08, $990); Rex Huff of Corbin, Ky., (five bass, 15-05, $813) and Jeff Sandusky of Mount Vernon, Ky. (five bass, 15-05, $813).
Brian Wade of Stanford, Ky., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $600 for a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass he caught on a creature bait.
Wesley Brooks of Bowling Green, Ky., earned $2,000 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 18 pounds, 2 ounces that he caught fishing a buzzbait over grass on the main lake.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Robert Hood of Somerset, Ky. (four bass, 10-14, $1,000); Talmadge Marcum of McKee, Ky. (five bass, 10-05, $666); Marty Mize of Somerset, Ky. (five bass, 10-01, $467) and Noah Griffith of Berea, Ky. (four bass, 9-08, $400).
Brooks earned $270 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass he caught on a buzzbait.
Mountain Division anglers will visit Barren River in Scottsville, Ky., Sept. 13-14 for a two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event.
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 Wheeler Lake 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.
Total awards are based on a full field of 200 boats in every tournament.