MORRISTOWN, Tenn. (Oct. 20, 2008) - Boater Jason Wilson of Bessemer City, N.C., earned a fully rigged Ranger 198VX and a new Chevy truck Saturday as the winner of the Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee in Morristown, Tenn. The top 40 boaters and the top 40 co-anglers from the Hoosier, LBL, Michigan and North Carolina divisions competed in the three-day bass fishing tournament.
Wilson's winning three-day catch of 15 bass weighed 37 pounds, 1 ounce. In addition to the new truck and boat, Wilson earned a ticket to the 2009 Bass Fishing League All-American.
The top six boaters and the top six co-anglers at the regional championship earned a spot to compete in the All-American. Rounding out the top six boaters were David Williams of Maiden, N.C. (13 bass, 32-06, $4,000); Ladd Kitchel of Flora, Ind. (14 bass, 32-03, $2,000); Roger Pope of Statesville, N.C. (12 bass, 31-03, $1,600); Chris Baldwin of Lexington, N.C. (14 bass, 30-06, $1,200); and Dan Pardue of Morgantown, Ind. (11 bass, 28-12, $1,000).
John Turley Jr. of Lexington, Ky., earned a new Ranger boat as the co-angler winner, thanks to a three-day total of eight bass weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces.
Rounding out the top six co-anglers were Shawn Murphy of Nicholasville, Ky. (eight bass, 18-13, $2,000); George Hirapetian of Charlotte, N.C. (11 bass, 18-11, $1,000); William Rea of Marion, Ind. (seven bass, 16-13, $800); Kirk Holland of Arlington, Ky. (nine bass, 13-14, $600); and Danny Robinson of Fairland, Ind. (seven bass, 13-12, $500).