LONDON, Ky. (March 16, 2009) Roger Hahn of Fairfield, Ohio., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League® Mountain Division tournament on Laurel River Lake
LONDON, Ky. (March 16, 2009) Roger Hahn of Fairfield, Ohio., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League® Mountain Division tournament on Laurel River Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 14 pounds, 4 ounces. The victory earned Hahn $4,507 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Lake Norman Regional Championship in Lake Norman, N.C., Oct. 22-24, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
I had no idea I would have the winning weight because it usually takes about 20 pounds, said Hahn. I thought I would be in the top ten.
Hahn caught his limit fishing on rock banks in 12-20 feet water on a homemade bear hair jig and finesse worm at the lower part of the lake, near the dam.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Aaron Singleton of LaGrange, Ky. (five bass, 13-13, $2,253); Mark Denney of Somerset, Ky. (four bass, 11-0, $1,502); Densmore Goodson of Letcher, Ky. (two bass, 9-13, $1,052) and Barry Stopher of Williamsburg, Ky. (two bass, 9-4, $901).
Rusty Smith took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $655 for a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass he caught.
Nick Day of East Bernstadt, Ky., earned $2,236 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to four bass weighing 18 pounds, 12 ounces.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Spencer Gross of Simpsonville, Ky. (three bass, 10-5, $1,118); Todd Stopher of London, Ky. (two bass, 8-6, $745); Kibbee McCoy of Crossville, Tenn. (three bass, 6-15, $522); and James Nolen of Louisa, Ky. (one bass, 6-1, $447).
James Nolen earned $325 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass.
The next Mountain Division event will be held on the Dale Hollow Lake in Byrdstown, Tenn., April 4.
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in each of the BFLs 28 divisions at the end of the season advance to a no-entry-fee Regional Championship where boaters fish for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck and co-anglers fish for a new Ranger boat. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division. Anglers who compete in all five regular-season events within a division but do not advance to a Regional Championship are eligible to compete in the Chevy Wild Card, which will also send six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American for a total of 48 boaters and 48 co-anglers advancing through BFL competition.
The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American will advance to the no-entry-fee $2.5 million Forrest Wood Cup in Atlanta in 2010. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the most lucrative tournament in all of competitive bass fishing. In all, the BFL offers weekend anglers the opportunity to qualify for three no-entry-fee championships with total cash awards exceeding $3.5 million. Plus, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each BFL division may move up to the Stren Series for 2010 while All-American champions have the option to advance directly to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour®.
In BFL competition, boaters supply the boat and compete from the front deck against other boaters. Co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.
As the nations leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the Stren Series and ultimately the FLW Tour bass fishings most lucrative tournament circuit.
