Wednesday, May 21, 2003
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Wednesday, May 21, 2003 |
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Local anglers headed to All-American Anglers from Georgia claimed 11 of 90 spots in the 2003 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League All-American, scheduled for May 28-31 on the Mobile Delta in Mobile. The championship event, one of the most prestigious in professional bass fishing, awards a $100,000 top cash award to the winning boater and $50,000 cash to the winning co-angler, making it also one of bass fishing's most lucrative events. Competing in the Boater Division are Jim Beavers of Manchester, Tony Christian of Hull, Frank Eslinger of LaGrange, Craig Johnson of Martinez, Martie Murphy of Thomaston, Tim Peek of Sharpsburg, Kenneth Stone of Silver Creek and David Wild of Acworth. Beavers advanced to the All-American by finishing fifth in the Wheeler Lake Regional. He ranked eighth in 2002 Bulldog Division points standings. Christian, the Savannah River Division points leader, won the Lake Gaston regional to cap off a phenomenal season in which he won five BFL tournaments, including the one Bulldog Division event that he entered. While he continues to fish the BFL, Christian has now added EverStart Series tournaments to his plate and has already claimed victory there once in 2003. Eslinger qualified for the All-American via the Chevy Trucks Wild Card, where he finished third. The 2002 season was his first full season in the BFL. Johnson won the Chevy Trucks Wild Card to advance to his first All-American. He switched to the Savannah River Division after two prior seasons in the Bulldog Division. Murphy also qualified via the Chevy Trucks Wild Card, finishing fifth. Murphy has fished the BFL since 1996, but 2002 was his first year to fish the full schedule. Peek is another Chevy Trucks Wild Card contender, finishing fourth in that event to advance to the All-American. He qualified for the championship after his first year as a BFL angler. Stone finished second in the Chevy Trucks Wild Card his second consecutive runner-up Wild Card finish. Stone, a Choo Choo Division angler, finished 42nd at last year's All-American. Wild posted a second-place finish at the Pearl River Regional and was ranked 21st in 2002 Bama Division points standings. Wild, who is also an EverStart Series pro, is fishing his first All-American. Three co-anglers from Georgia will compete in the All-American from the back of the boat. They are Peter Babbini of Kennesaw, Dennis Hudson of Fortson and Sandy Thornton of Elberton. Babbini won the Chevy Trucks Wild Card to advance to the All-American in his first year of BFL competition. Hudson also advanced via the Chevy Trucks Wild Card, finishing fourth to qualify for his second consecutive All-American. Thornton finished fifth at the Lake Gaston Regional to earn his ticket to the All-American after ranking 14th in year-end Savannah River Division points standings. As the Savannah River Division points champion, Christian will also be competing for the Yamaha "Be the Best" Points Championship and $10,000 cash. The highest finishing divisional points champion at the All-American earns the distinction. The highest finishing Ranger Cup participant at the All-American wins a 519VS Ranger Boat and Ranger Trail trailer. The 2002 Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League comprised 26 divisions nationwide with five regular-season events each. Anglers who finished in the top 30 in divisional points standings were eligible to compete in one of seven regionals, six of which sent six boaters and six co-anglers to the All-American while a seventh sent three boaters and three co-anglers. Anglers who competed in all five regular-season events within a division but did not advance to a regional were eligible to compete in the Chevy Trucks Wild Card, which also sent six boaters and six co-anglers for a total All-American field of 90 competitors. Competition begins from Chocolotta Ramp in Mobile on May 29 following an official practice day May 28. The full field (45 boaters and 45 co-anglers) competes for two days, with co-angler competition concluding May 30 based on the heaviest two-day accumulated weight. The top 10 boaters continue competition May 31 with the winner crowned by the heaviest one-day weight. Weigh-ins start at 3 p.m. daily at the Mobile Convention Center. There is no admission fee to the weigh-ins, and the public is invited to attend the festivities. The All-American will bring national exposure to the nation's best weekend anglers when highlights of the event are broadcast to 55 million subscribers of the Outdoor Life Network. Because BFL competitors are weekend anglers and not pros, the All-American and its lucrative cash awards present a unique opportunity for qualifiers looking to launch a professional bass-fishing career. Former All-American contenders who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg's pro Clark Wendlandt, Chevy pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts. As the nation's leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. Wal-Mart and many of America's most respected companies support the BFL and five other FLW Outdoors tournament trails. Wal-Mart has been the title sponsor of FLW Outdoors since 1997. For a complete list of FLW Outdoors sponsors and for more information about the premier products and services they offer, please visit FLWOutdoors.com. FLW Outdoors is named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood.
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