Meyer Wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing league Event on Shelbyville Lake
Category: Tournament
May 19th, 2008 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified May 19th, 2008 at 12:00 AM
SHELBYVILLE, Ill. (May 19, 2008) – Boater Roy Meyer of Tuscola, Ill., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Illini Division tournament on Shelbyville Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 15 pounds, 7 ounces. The victory earned Meyer $3,569 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Kentucky Lake Regional Championship in Benton, Ky., Oct. 2-4, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
“I got on a bite during practice and hit about 15 different spots and lucked into a fish in about 90 percent of them,” said Meyer, who posted his first win in seven seasons of BFL competition. “I had a 3 ½-pounder about 2:30 that came off, and I thought I’d lost it, even though I had a limit. About 15 minutes later, I went to a stump where I had caught a 3-pounder first thing in the morning, and I ended culling out a 14-incher with a 4-pounder.”
Meyer said he caught 20 fish during the course of the day on a black and blue jig.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Neil McCord of West Frankfort, Ill. (five bass, 14-13, $2,100); Travis Boley of Weldon, Ill. (five bass, 14-04, $1,072); Dan McDowell of Mattoon, Ill. (five bass, 14-04, $1,072) and Rusty Reinoehl of St. Louis, Mo. (five bass, 14-04, $1,072).
Alan Spenner of Hoyleton, Ill., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $585 for a 5-pound, 11-ounce bass he caught on a Strike King crankbait.
Michael Watson of Chicago, Ill., earned $2,082 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to three bass weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces that he caught fishing a white Strike King spinnerbait around riprap.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Dany Chhay of Hanover Park, Ill. (three bass, 8-11, $1,041); Brian Futch of Goreville, Ill. (three bass, 8-09, $692); Lance Dasenbrock of Effingham, Ill. (three bass, 8-07, $486) and Jeff McWhorter of Greenville, Ky. (three bass, 8-02, $416).
Mark Kattenbraker of Charleston, Ill., earned $290 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass.
Illini Division anglers will visit the Ohio River in Golconda, Ill., June 28 for their third regular-season event. The division’s fourth qualifying event will be held on Shelbyville Lake in Findlay, Ill., July 19. A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be held on the Ohio River in Golconda, Ill., Sept. 6-7.
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 Kentucky 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.