ARKADELPHIA, Ark. (April 2, 2007) - Boater Kevin Brown of Malvern, Ark., won the Bass Fishing League Arkie Division bass fishing tournament on DeGray Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 20 pounds, 12 ounces. The victory earned Brown $4,233 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Wright Patman Lake Regional Championship in Texarkana, Texas, Oct. 25-27, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
Brown fished the lower end of the lake and targeted inside edges of grass 12 to 13 feet deep with a Carolina rig.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Clinton Mayfield of Hot Springs, Ark., (five bass, 16-9, $2,490); Kendall Smith of Benton, Ark., (five bass, 15-14, $1,662); Jeff Vanderpool of Pine Bluff, Ark., (five bass, 15-10, $1,162) and Matthew Mize of Ben Lomond, Ark., (five bass, 15-1, $996).
Brown took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $760 for a 6-pound, 15-ounce bass.
Pete Clark of Malvern, Ark., earned $2,490 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces that he caught while fishing a Carolina rig in 8 to 10 feet of water off of points on the inside edge of grass.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Donny Holloway of Sheridan, Ark., (five bass, 14-8, $1,245); William Fitzgerald of Greenbrier, Ark., (five bass, 13-14, $829); Johnny Manning of Arkadelphia, Ark., (five bass, 13-10, $581) and Albert Clark of Malvern, Ark., (five bass, 13-8, $498).
Jerry Harvin of Texarkana, Ark., earned $380 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass. The Arkie Division's next event will be May 5 on Greers Ferry in Greers Ferry, Ark., followed by a tournament June 9 on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Ark. The final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Oct. 6-7 on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Ark.
Following the end of regular-season competition, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on year-end points standings in the division will advance to the no-entry-fee Wright Patman Lake Regional Championship where they will compete against top qualifiers from three other BFL divisions. At the Regional Championship boaters will fish for a new Ranger boat and Chevy truck and co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger boat. The top six boaters and top six co-anglers at the Regional Championship will also advance to the 2008 All-American.