Szczerbala Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Regional on Lake Chickamauga
OutdoorHub 10.24.11
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. Oct. 24, 2011 – Richard Szczerbala of Apex, N.C., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional on Lake Chickamauga Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 43 pounds, 15 ounces. For his victory, Szczerbala 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 Bama, Music City, Piedmont and Savannah River divisions of the Walmart FLW BFL circuit.
“Sometimes you just get lucky,” said Szczerbala. “I fished consistently all week which is something the other anglers weren’t able to do and that is what made the difference.
“On the first two mornings there was a good topwater bite going on, continued Szczerbala “I was using the Zara Spook. In the afternoon I would switch to flipping grass mats and caught a lot of key fish with the black and blue NetBait Paca Craw in about 5 to 8 feet of water.
“This was my first time on Lake Chickamauga,” Szczerbala went on to say. “I grew-up fishing mats in Fla., and it’s my favorite way to fish. I am used to small baits with big weights and it really played to my advantage for this tournament. On the first day of practice I found a grassy bank that was near an old river channel that ran about 30 feet deep I stuck with that area all week long and it really paid off for me.”
The remaining top six boaters and also qualifying for the BFL All-American were:
- 2nd: Terry Steele, Sparta, Tenn., 15 bass, 41-4, $1,500
- 3rd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., 14 bass, 39-13, $1,100
- 4th: Jayme Rampey, Liberty S.C., 12 bass, 39-3, $1,000
- 5th: Patrick Bone, Cleveland, Ga., 14 bass, 38-14, $900
- 6th: Tim Staley, Dowelltown, Tenn., 15 bass, 37-12, $800
Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:
- 7th: Brian Tidwell, Seneca, S.C., 14 bass, 37-8, $700
- 8th: Andy Kilgore, Kingston, Ga., 11 bass, 36-7, $650
- 9th: Eric Jeter, Asheville, N.C., 12 bass, 34-6, $600
- 10th: Dax Bumpers, Jackson, Ala., eight bass, 26-8, $550
Scott Curvin of Jacksonville, Ala., won the Co-angler Division Saturday with a three-day total of eight bass weighing 28 pounds, 0 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: Michael Smith, Piedmont S.C., nine bass, 25-3, $750
- 3rd: Rodney Stevens, Garner, N.C., eight bass, 24-8, $550
- 4th: Jake Akin, Powder Springs, Ga., nine bass, 20-15, $500
- 5th: Shawn Marquis, Columbus, Ga., seven bass, 18-3, $450
- 6th: James Bullard, Harriman, Tenn., six bass, 16-11, $400
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
- 7th: DJ Boggs, Murfreesboro, Tenn., seven bass, 16-0, $350
- 8th: Marcus Corbett, Heflin, Ala., six bass, 15-15, $325
- 9th: Rod Huff, Monterey, Tenn., six bass, 15-7, $300
- 10th: Frank Chappell, Sterrett, Ala., five bass, 14-14, $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.
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
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.
