LILLEGARD WINS WAL-MART BASS FISHING LEAGUE EVENT ON LAKE CAYUGA
WATERLOO, N.Y. (July 17, 2006) – Boater Rick Lillegard of Shoreham, Vt., earned $4,507 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Empire Division event on Lake Cayuga. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Empire Division events and earned Lillegard 200 points in the Boater Division. Lillegard's winning catch of five bass weighed 15 pounds, 3 ounces.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Marc Saracene of Webster, N.Y. (five bass, 14 pounds, 1 ounce, $2,253); Robert Daly of South Easton, Mass. (five bass, 13 pounds, 4 ounces, $1,502); Matthew Martin of La Fayette, N.Y., (five bass, 12 pounds, 6 ounces, $1,052) and Thomas Tennity of Marion, N.Y. (five bass, 12 pounds, 5 ounces, $901).
Tennity also took home an additional $655 for winning the Boater Division big bass award with a 4-pound, 11-ounce bass.
Daly also took home an additional $500 for being the highest placing Ranger Cup participant.
Brian Kelly of Liverpool, N.Y., won the Co-angler Division to earn $2,253 thanks to five bass weighing 11 pounds, 10 ounces.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Donald Quonce of Pulaski, N.Y. (five bass, 10 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,127); Bill Spindler of Turnersville, N.J. (five bass, 9 pounds, 2 ounces, $751); Robert Secrist of Caneadea, N.Y. (three bass, 9 pounds, 1 ounce, $526); and Randy Gordner of Benton, Pa. (four bass, 9 pounds, $451).
Jerry Knier of Muncy, Pa., earned $327 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 5-pound bass.
The Empire Division's next event will take place on Lake Seneca near Geneva, N.Y., July 29 followed by an event on Aug. 26 on 1000 Islands near Clayton, N.Y. The Empire Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 23-24 with a two-day Super Tournament, the divisions fifth and final event, on Lake Champlain near Ticonderoga, N.Y.
Following the regular season, the Empire Division boater with the most points who advances farthest in the Wal-Mart BFL All-American will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha "Be the Best" points champion. The co-angler points champion who advances farthest will earn $5,000 as the Yamaha "Be the Best" points champion in the Co-angler Division.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on. The top 40 Empire Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the Smith Mountain Regional near Moneta, Va., Oct. 19-21, where they will compete against North Carolina, Northeast and Piedmont anglers for one of six slots in the 2007 All-American. With a total purse of $1 million and a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing.
The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired, with boaters supplying the boat and fishing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing from the back deck against other co-anglers. For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com.
Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Stratos Owners' Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournament programs, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.
Wal-Mart and many of America's largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world's leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
