COLUMBUS, Miss. (June 27, 2005) - Boater Joel Ehrhart of Caledonia earned $3,678 Saturday as winner of the Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division bass fishing tournament on the Columbus Pool of the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Mississippi Division events and featured 113 boaters vying for the win, which earned Ehrhart 200 points in the Boater Division.
Ehrhart's winning catch of five bass weighed 14 pounds, 14 ounces. Ehrhart fished gravel pits near the marina with a shad crankbait to catch his bass.
Finishing second was Brian Kelley of Tuscaloosa, Ala., with four bass weighing 14 pounds, 2 ounces that earned him $1,839. William Fletcher of Arlington, Tenn., claimed $1,206 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 12 pounds, 8 ounces. In a fourth-place tie were Sean Dassau of Helena, Ala., and Jeff Doty of Aberdeen. Each angler caught five bass weighing 12 pounds, 6 ounces worth $852.
Kelley took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $565 for a 7-pound, 6-ounce bass. He caught his big bass on a brushhog. Kelley also earned an additional $500 as winner of the Ranger Cup award.
Jeff Johnston of Marion, Ark., bested 113 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $1,839 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 13 pounds, 14 ounces that he caught on scum frogs and worms.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Rick Fulkerson of Heidelberg (three bass, 10 pounds, 4 ounces, $920); Jeffrey Johns of Terry (five bass, 8 pounds, 9 ounces, $602); and in a fourth-place tie were Justin Sward of Vancleave and Al White of Collins. Sward caught five bass weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces and White caught four bass weighing 7 pounds, 8 ounces. Each co-angler earned $426.
Fulkerson earned $283 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass he caught on a June bug lizard.
The Mississippi Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 17-18 with a two-day Super Tournament on Ross Barnett Lake near Brandon.
Following the regular season, the Mississippi 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.