ROBINSON WINS WAL-MART BASS FISHING LEAGUE EVENT ON LAKE KEOWEE

SENECA, S.C. (Feb 5, 2007) – Boater Marty Robinson of Lyman, S.C., won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Savannah River Division tournament on Lake Keowee Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 19 pounds, 7 ounces. The victory earned Robinson $4,508 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Lake Seminole Regional Championship in Bainbridge, Ga., Oct. 25-27, where he could ultimately win a new 519VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.

Robinson was fishing shallow pockets that contained schools of bait with jigs and Blade Runners to catch his quality-sized, tournament limit of bass.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Roger Vinson of Flowery Branch, Ga. (five bass, 13-2, $2,652); Charles Granger of Ware Shoals, S.C. (five bass, 11-13, $1,768); Buddy Henson of Landrum, S.C. (five bass, 11-6, $1,238) and Michael Anders of Easley, S.C. (five bass, 11-2, $1,061).

Vinson also took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning him an additional $835 for a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass.

Daniel Peninger of Fairview, N.C., earned $2,620 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 10 pounds, 9 ounces that he caught while fishing a drop-shot rig in 30 to 40 feet of water targeting humps and other offshore structure.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Roger Gravitt of Gainesville, Ga. (five bass, 10-1, $1,093); James Wood of Pickens, S.C. (five bass, 10-1, $1,093); Jared Burgess of Liberty, S.C. (five bass,9-3, $611) and Greg Clouse of Easley, S.C. (four bass, 8 pounds, $524).

Mike Thrift of Easley, S.C., earned $412 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 12-ounce bass.

The Savannah River Division’s next event will be March 31 on Clarks Hill Lake in Appling, Ga., followed by tournament April 28 on Lake Hartwell in Clemson, S.C. The division’s fourth event will be held June 16 on Lake Russell in Elberton, Ga., and the final event of the regular season will be a two-day Super Tournament held Sept. 29-30 on Clarks Hill Lake in Thomson, Ga.

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 Lake Seminole 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 presented by Chevy. With a total purse of $1 million, a potential $140,000 cash prize going to the winning boater and as much as $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing. The winning boater and winning co-angler at the All-American also advance to the no-entry-fee $2 million 2008 Forrest Wood Cup. This event, featuring a top award of $1 million, is the sport’s biggest championship.

The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired. Boaters supply the boat and fish from the front deck against other boaters while co-anglers compete from the back deck against other co-anglers.

Named after the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, Forrest L. Wood, FLW Outdoors administers the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Series, Stren Series, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League, Wal-Mart Texas Tournament Trail presented by Abu Garcia, Ranger Owners Tournament Championship Series, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Walleye League, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Tour, Wal-Mart FLW Kingfish Series, Wal-Mart FLW Redfish Series and Wal-Mart FLW Striper Series. These circuits will offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 238 events in 2007.

Wal-Mart and many of America’s largest and most respected companies support FLW Outdoors and its tournament trails. Wal-Mart signed on as an FLW Outdoors sponsor in 1997 and today is the world’s leading supporter of tournament fishing. For more information about Wal-Mart, visit Wal-Mart.com.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000.