BELLE RIVER, La. (Sept. 15, 2003) - Chad Porto of Donaldsonville caught 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 13 ounces to win $4,633 at the Bass Fishing League Louisiana Division Super Bass Fishing Tournament, on the Atchafalaya Basin near Belle River. Porto bested 92 Boater Division competitors and earned 300 points at the tournament, which was the fifth and final Louisiana Division event of the regular season.
Porto caught five bass Saturday weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces to finish second on day one and followed that up Sunday with another five bass weighing 11 pounds, 10 ounces to earn the win.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Doug Bickley of Baton Rouge (10 bass, 24 pounds, 13 ounces); Will Major of Port Allen (nine bass, 21 pounds, 4 ounces); Scott Buxton of Napoleonville (eight bass, 21 pounds, 1 ounce); and Chad Collins of Sunset (nine bass, 19 pounds, 13 ounces).
Buxton claimed a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. He also claimed $620 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 6-pound bass.
Bill McCarty of Morgan City led 92 Co-angler Division competitors on day two to claim $2,316 as the Super Tournament co-angler winner. He caught four bass Saturday weighing 9 pounds, 13 ounces to finish third and followed that up Sunday with another three bass weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces to earn the win. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a watermelon Brush Hog.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Chuck Major of Morganza (six bass, 13 pounds, 11 ounces); Matt Lipari of Patterson (four bass, 9 pounds, 13 ounces); Chris Achee of Lafayette (five bass, 9 pounds); and Gary Paline of Watson (four bass, 8 pounds, 3 ounces).
Lipari took co-angler big-bass honors and $310 with a 4-pound, 7-ounce bass.
Doug Bickley of Baton Rouge is the Louisiana Division's Yamaha "Be the Best" points leader, winning $1,000 for the 1,056 points he earned during five regular-season tournaments. Gary Fields of Donaldsville is the Yamaha "Be the Best" points leader in the Co-angler Division. He earned $500 for his division-leading 1,033 points.