KETTLEKAMP WINS WAL-MART BASS FISHING LEAGUE EVENT ON CAYUGA
LAKE SENECA FALLS, N.Y. (July 11, 2005) -
Boater Kraig Kettlekamp of Clifton Springs earned $5,601 Saturday
as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Empire Division
event on Cayuga Lake. The tournament was the second of five
regular-season Empire Division events and featured 155 boaters
vying for the win, which earned Kettlekamp 200 points in the
Boater Division. Kettlekamp's winning catch of five bass weighed
14 pounds, 15 ounces. He threw topwater lures and soft-plastic
tube baits over grass in 9 to 10 feet of water to catch his
bass. He earned $4,601 fore the win plus an additional $1,000
as winner of the Ranger Cup award. Finishing second was John
Lorenzo of Kane, Pa., with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 9 ounces
that earned him $2,301. In a third-place tie were Michael Morrin
of Waterloo and Thomas Eveland of Nanticoke, Pa. Each angler
caught five bass weighing 14 pounds and earned $1,339. Finishing
fifth and earning $962 was Mitch Pierson of Newton, N.J., with
five bass weighing 13 pounds, 9 ounces. Stephen Deguzis of Bristol,
Conn., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $775
for a 5-pound, 8-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a Senko.
Richard French of Newfield bested 155 Co-angler Division competitors
to earn $2,301 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass
weighing 13 pounds, 9 ounces that he caught on Senkos, spinnerbaits
and crawfish lures. Rounding out the top five co-anglers are
Merrill Showers of New Columbia, Pa. (five bass, 13 pounds,
5 ounces, $1,150); Aaron Fisk of Millville, Pa. (five bass,
13 pounds, 1 ounce, $751); in a fourth-place tie were Robert
Quimby of Auburn and Jacob Rice of Osceola Mills, Pa. Both co-anglers
caught five bass weighing 11 pounds, 12 ounces worth $533. Shawn
Nollan of Ballston Lake earned $388 as the co-angler big-bass
award winner with a 4-pound, 13-ounce bass he caught on a Senko.
The Empire Division's next event will be held July 30 on Seneca
Lake near Romulus, followed by an event at Thousand Islands
near Clayton Aug. 20. The Empire Division will wrap up its regular
season Sept. 24-25 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Champlain
near Ticonderoga. Following the regular season, the Empire Division
boater with the most points will earn $1,000 as the Yamaha "Be
the Best" points champion. The co-angler amassing the most points
will earn $500 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 Kerr
Lake Regional near Henderson, N.C., Oct. 18-22 where they will
compete against Northeast, Mountain and Music City Division
anglers for one of six slots in the 2006 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 $8.4 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 Bass Fishing League and seven other national tournament
circuits offering a combined $30 million in awards through 214
events in 2005. The 27-year-old organization is the purveyor
of America's largest and most prestigious fishing tournaments,
including the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, EverStart Series, Wal-Mart
Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail, Wal-Mart
FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW
Kingfish Tour and Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series. Wal-Mart and
many of America's largest and most respected companies support
FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as
title sponsor of the FLW Tour in 1997 and today is the title
sponsor of all FLW Outdoors events. For more information on
Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.
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