Robinson Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Regional on Barren River

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. Oct. 24, 2011 – Tommy Robinson of Westland, Mich., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional on the Barren River Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 40 pounds, 12 ounces. For his victory, Robinson won a 198VX Ranger boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor plus a Chevy 1500 Silverado and a berth in the BFL All-American Championship tournament. This regional tournament featured the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from the Great Lakes, Hoosier, Illini and Michigan divisions of the Walmart FLW BFL circuit.

“I was fishing as far back in Peter’s Creek as you could get,” said Robinson. “I was bumpin’ stumps in 3 to 5 feet of water for the entire tournament. I started flipping with an EmGem by Garneau and then changed to Strike King 1.5 crankbaits which is what I caught most of my big fish on. There were a lot of guys fishing in the creek but they were mostly using jigs and flipping soft plastics. I was the only one throwing a crankbait.

“I literally paddled my way to the championship,” Robinson continued. “On the last day I lost my trolling motor so had to use a wooden paddle to keep me in my key area. No one fished the creek on the final day with me and I knew I had a pretty good chance of winning when on my second cast I caught a 3-pounder. I knew then that the area had replenished and I had a good shot at winning.

The remaining top six boaters and also qualifying for the BFL All-American were:

• 2nd:         John Wright, Shelbyville, Ill., 15 bass, 39-0, $1,500
• 3rd:         Eric Snow, Clarksville, Ind., 13 bass, 33-14, $1,100
• 4th:          Jeff Ritter, Prairie du Chien, Wis., 13 bass, 30-8, $1,000
• 5th:          Derek Jenkel, Pinkneyville, Ill., 12 bass, 23-10, $900
• 6th:          Dick Shaffer, Rockford, Ohio, 10 bass, 23-1, $800

Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:

• 7th:          Jimmy Johnson, La Crosse, Wis., nine bass, 22-10, $700
• 8th:          Todd Hensley, New Albany, Ind., 10 bass, 22-0, $650
• 9th:          Mike Brewington, Columbus, Ind., 10 bass, 20-15, $600
• 10th:        Aaron McManaway, Altamont, Ill., nine bass, 20-11, $550

Aaron Arning of Walnut Hill, Ill., won the Co-angler Division on Saturday with a three-day total of 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 5 ounces. He took home a 198VX Ranger boat including a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor along with a berth in the BFL All-American Championship tournament.

The remaining top six co-anglers and also qualifying for the BFL All-American were:

• 2nd:         David Michaelis, Commerce, Mich., nine bass, 22-5, $750
• 3rd:         Gary Melson, Louisville, Ky., nine bass, 19-0, $550
• 4th:          Cody Kelley, Schoolcraft, Mich., seven bass, 17-14, $500
• 5th:          Nathan Halliday, Morehead, Ky., nine bass, 17-4, $450
• 6th:          Dustin Burk, Brookville, Ind., nine bass, 17-0, $400

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

• 7th:          Joey Von Hoene, Erlanger, Ky., seven bass, 16-13, $350
• 8th:          Robby Tufte, Fountain City, Wis., eight bass, 16-9, $325
• 9th:          Doug Ruster, Greenfield, Ind., eight bass, 15-13, $300
• 10th:        Scott Moon, Beech Grove, Ind., eight bass, 15-12, $275

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for one of six regional tournaments and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifes them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the EverStart Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWEverStartSeries and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWOutdoors.

FLW Outdoors is the best in fishing, on and off the water. Anglers worldwide can compete for millions over the course of 191 tournaments in 2011. FLW Outdoors has taken fishing mainstream with the world’s richest fantasy sports game, FLW Fantasy Fishing presented by Straight Talk, where competitors can play for free as well as sign up for Player’s Advantage to gain an edge. For more information about FLW Outdoors and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com.