TEXARKANA, Texas (Oct. 29, 2007) - Boater Ricky Campbell of Waxahachie, Texas, earned a fully rigged Ranger 198VX and a new Chevy truck Saturday as the winner of the Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on the Wright Patman Lake in Texarkana, Texas. The top 40 boaters and the top 40 co-anglers from the Arkie, Cowboy, Louisiana and Okie divisions competed in the three-day event.
Campbell's winning three-day catch of 13 bass weighed 30 pounds, 13 ounces. In addition to the new truck and boat, Campbell earned a ticket to the 2008 $1 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League All-American on the Connecticut River in Hartford, Conn., May 29-31.
"This was a great tournament," said Campbell, who captured second place at the BFL Wright Pataman Lake Regional in 2006. "I fished the exact same area as I did last year, all three days. The whole tournament I only used ½ a gallon of gas." Campbell caught his winning bass by throwing an array of jigs, shaky heads and Senkos around rocks near the ramp.
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 Mike Brower Jr. of Texarkana, Texas (eight bass, 26-03, $4,000); Darren Hahne of Ottawa, Ill. (10 bass, 22-04, $2,000); Brett Sellers of Baton Rouge, La. (eight bass, 21-10, $1,600); Keith Jones of Texarkana, Texas (11 bass, 20-06, $1,200); and Jason Christie of Park Hill, Okla. (eight bass, 20-02, $1,000).
Blake Wilson of Prattsville, Ark., earned a new Ranger boat as the co-angler winner, thanks to a three-day total of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 8 ounces that he caught throwing a jig off drops.
Rounding out the top six co-anglers were Don Benson of Eufaula, Okla. (11 bass, 25-08, $2,000); Chad Estep of Baton Rouge, La. (seven bass, 18-02, $1,000); James Marion of Tulsa, Okla. (eight bass, 16-14, $800); Gary Crain of Denham Springs, La. (six bass, 14-06, $600); and Leavitt Hamilton of Prairieville, La. (five bass, 12-00, $500).