RICHMOND, Va. (July 16, 2007) - Boater Greg Cooper of Yorktown, Va., won the Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division bass fishing tournament on the James River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 11 ounces. The victory earned Cooper $3,607 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Potomac River Regional Championship in Marbury, Md., Oct. 11-13, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
Cooper fished a run-and-gun pattern in grass and wood, flipping a buzzbait.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Chris Atwell of Mechanicsville, Va. (five bass, 12-06, $2,122); Steve Wagner of New Kent, Va. (five bass, 11-07, $1,413); Jeff Francis of Richmond, Va. (five bass, 11-05, $990) and Wesley Harris of Rustburg, Va. (five bass, 11-01, $849).
Mark Rossow of Alexandria, Va., took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $600 for a 4-pound, 13-ounce bass.
William Ambler of Roanoke, Va., earned $2,041 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to four bass weighing 13 pounds, 1 ounce that he caught while fishing a Texas rig on bushes using Berkley PowerBait worms.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Austin Harris of Cayce, S.C. (five bass, 9-13, $1,021); Dana Thomas of Appomattox, Va. (three bass, 9-07, $683); David Deciucis of Chester, Va. (five bass, 8-13, $476) and Kirk Horton of Fredericksburg, Va. (five bass, 8-05, $408).
Gary Payne of Goochland, Va., earned $280 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 7-ounce bass. The Shenandoah Division's final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 22-23 on the Potomac River in Woodbridge, Va.