DECATUR, Ala. (April 10, 2006) - Boater James Ferguson of Anderson, Ala., earned $3,679 Saturday as winner of the Bass Fishing League Bama Division bass fishing tournament on Wheeler Lake. The tournament was the third of five regular-season Bama Division events and earned Ferguson 200 points in the Boater Division.
Ferguson's winning catch of five bass weighed 15 pounds, 7 ounces. He was throwing a Rat-L-Trap and jig around power lines in 3 to 4 feet of water to catch his bass.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Brent Crow of Hartselle, Ala. (five bass, 14 pounds, 7 ounces, $1,840); Byron Terry of Trinity, Ala. (five bass, 12 pounds, 12 ounces, $1,225); Scott Towry of Lawrenceburg, Tenn. (five bass, 12 pounds, 5 ounces, $859) and Jeff Knight of Cleveland, Tenn. (five bass, 12 pounds, 4 ounces, $705).
Crow earned an additional $500 for being the highest placing Ranger Cup participant.
Terry Owens of Aliceville, Ala., took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $480 for a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass.
Chuck Stevens of Rogersville, Ala., won the Co-angler Division to earn $1,796 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces that he caught while throwing a white Chatterbait around lily pads in 2 to 3 feet of water.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are TC Waters of Glencoe , Ala. (five bass, 15 pounds, 1 ounce, $898); David Breland of Birmingham, Ala. (five bass, 12 pounds, 10 ounces, $598) Lenn Jamerson of Bridgeport, Ill., (five bass, 12 pounds, 9 ounces, $419) and Jamie Bladow of Houston, Ala. (four bass, 11 pounds, 5 ounces, $359).
Stevens earned an additional $345 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 13-ounce bass.
The Bama Division's next event will be held May 13 on Weiss Lake near Centre, Ala. The Bama Division will wrap up its regular season Sept. 9-10 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Guntersville near Scottsboro, Ala.