LANETT, Ala. (May 19, 2008) - Boater Wayne Sanders of Fayetteville, Ga., won the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division bass fishing tournament on West Point Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 11 pounds, 5 ounces. The victory earned Sanders $4,113 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Lake Murray Regional Championship in Columbia, S.C., Oct. 23-25, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
"It feels wonderful to win," said Sanders. "It's been a long time coming and you can't beat winning on your home lake."
Sanders said he caught a total of 15 keepers Saturday from 20 different areas.
"I worked hard to catch all 15 keepers. I would leave one spot and go to another spot and then come back. I fished all the way up to Highway 109 and down to West Point Dam."
Sanders caught his bass throwing a Zoom Fluke Worm around rocks.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Anthony Shy of Covington, Ga. (three bass, 10-12, $2,419); Kim Carver of Milledgeville, Ga. (four bass, 10-00, $1,614); Tim Malcolm of Americus, Ga. (five bass, 9-05, $1,129) and Micah Frazier of Newnan, Ga. (five bass, 9-02, $968).
Shy took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $730 for a 5-pound, 14-ounce bass he caught on buzzbait.
Joel Hobgood of Sharpsburg, Ga., earned $2,419 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 8 pounds, 13 ounces that he caught on a ChatterBait and shaky head.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Eric Dowell of Suwanee, Ga. (three bass, 8-08, $1,210); Jevaris Johnson of Acworth, Ga. (four bass, 8-02, $807); Michael Burrell of Marietta, Ga. (four bass, 7-05, $565) and Michael Williams of Dallas, Ga. (five bass, 7-03, $484).
Dowell earned $365 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass he caught on a buzzbait.
A two-day Super Tournament, the division's fifth and final event, will be held on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula. Ala, Sept. 13-14.