05.Jan.2013
CLEWISTON, Fla. – Steven Stinson of Pickering, Ontario, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 32 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Gator Division event on Lake Okeechobee in Clewiston, Fla. For his victory, Stinson earned $6,011.
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Jim Hurlock Jr., Lake Worth, Fla., five bass, 26-5, $3,006
3rd: Andrew Lee, Cocoa, Fla., five bass, 19-7, $1,702
3rd: Michael Meisenheimer, Sunrise, Fla., four bass, 19-7, $1,702
5th: Jim Folks, Melbourne, Fla., five bass, 19-2, $1,202
6th: Billy Jackson Jr., Ocala, Fla., five bass, 18-15, $1,102
7th: Miles Burghoff, Orlando, Fla., five bass, 18-10, $1,002
8th: Doug Harris, Loxahatchee, Fla., five bass, 16-9, $902
9th: Jimmie Murphy, Ocala, Fla., five bass, 16-8, $802
10th: Keith Fels, Ocala, Fla., five bass, 16-6, $701
Complete results can be found here.
Trudel lands co-angler title
James Trudel of Boca Raton, Fla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win $3,006 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Robert Turcotte, Naples, Fla., five bass, 14-2, $3,006
3rd: Scott Crisafulli, Sunrise, Fla., five bass, 13-12, $1,503
4th: Brock Stanaland, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 12-15, $1,008
5th: Raymond Rupp, The Villages, Fla., five bass, 12-13, $701
6th: James Atkins, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 12-5, $601
7th: Keith Stills, Eustis, Fla., five bass, 12-2, $551
8th: James Blount, Rockledge, Fla., five bass, 12-1, $501
9th: Jay Trudel, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 12-0, $451
10th: Michael Dubick, Coral Springs, Fla., five bass, 11-14, $401
Complete co-angler results can be found here.
The next BFL Gator Division tournament is scheduled for Feb. 16 on Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee, Fla. After the fifth divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 3–5 Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville, Ala. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27–29 on Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
