SENECA, S.C. (Nov. 7, 2011) – David Williams of Maiden, N.C., won the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional bass fishing tournament on Lake Hartwell Saturday with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 39 pounds, 10 ounces. For his victory, Williams won a 198VX Ranger boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor plus a Chevy 1500 Silverado and a berth in the BFL All-American. This regional tournament featured the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from the Choo Choo, Gator, North Carolina and Shenandoah divisions of the FLW BFL circuit.
“Fall fishing is not like fishing any other time of the year,” said Williams. “The fish scatter and could be anywhere, you just don’t know. I covered a lot of water during the tournament and if it looked good I fished it. I caught bass on docks, points, brush piles and schooling.
“I was using spinnerbaits and jigs all week,” continued Williams. “Most of the bigger fish came on a jig in shallow water. It was just typical fall fishing for me; I tried to cover more water and make more casts than anyone else. You had to struggle for every bite, but it worked out real good for me.”
Williams said that he is looking forward to fishing the BFL All-American at the Potomac River next May with his dad. Gerald Williams finished fifth in the co-angler division to qualify the event as well.
The remaining top six boaters who also qualified for the BFL All-American were:
2nd: Eddie Bussard, Sanford, Fla., 13 bass, 31-13, $1,500
3rd: Chris Baxter, Winder, Ga., 15 bass, 31-10, $1,100
4th: Brian Tidwell, Seneca, S.C., 15 bass, 30-6, $1,000
5th: Steven James, Easley, S.C., 15 bass, 30-6, $900
6th: Conrad Bolt, Seneca, S.C., 15 bass, 30-6, $800
Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:
7th: Randy Childers, Anderson, S.C., 15 bass, 30-3, $700
8th: Johnny Patterson, Grant Ala., 15 bass, 28-3, $650
9th: Kelly Logan, Morganton, N.C., 15 bass, 27-13, $600
10th: Johnny Price Jr., Brookwood, Ala., 14 bass, 27-7, $550
Kurt Moser of Max Meadows, Va., won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of 11 bass weighing 23 pounds, 9 ounces. He took home a 198VX Ranger boat including a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor along with a berth in the BFL All-American.
The remaining top six co-anglers who also qualified for the BFL All-American were:
2nd: Mark Belew, Palmyra, Va., 15 bass, 21-10, $750
3rd: Wayne Smelser, Rural Retreat, Va., 14 bass, 21-2, $550
4th: Donnie Woody, Marion, N.C., 15 bass, 21-1, $500
5th: Gerald Williams, Maiden, N.C., nine bass, 20-0, $450
6th: Jerry Comperatore, Tarentum, Pa., 14 bass, 19-12, $400
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
7th: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 15 bass, 19-6, $350
8th: Mike D’Angelo Sr., Remlap, Ala., nine bass, 17-5, $325
9th: Derek Brown, Charlottesville, Va., nine bass, 17-3, $300
10th: William Wood, West Palm Beach, Fla., 11 bass, 16-1, $275
The BFL is a 24-division circuit for weekend anglers with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for one of six regional tournaments and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for the BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the FLW Tour.