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McCoy wins Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Super Tournament on Lake Mead

Las Vegas, Nev.
Craig McCoy of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., topped 31 competitors on Lake Mead this weekend with five bass weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces to win $3,247 and 400 points on the boater side of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Colorado River Division season finale.

After qualifying for the final round of the two-day Super Tournament in first place with an opening day catch of five bass weighing 12 pounds, 9 ounces, McCoy out fished runner up Tim Klinger of Boulder City, Nev., by 5 ounces to take the win. McCoy caught the majority of his bass, including a 3-pound, 14-ounce fish that earned him $310 as the biggest bass in the Boater Division, using a black- and watermelon-colored jig in the Overton arm of Lake Mead.

Klinger qualified for the final round in second place with five bass weighing 10 pounds, 4 ounces and finished up with 7 pounds, 2 ounces to win $1,624. He also earned a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program.

Jim Jared of Dolan Springs, Ariz., took third place and collected $812 with 7 pounds, 1 ounce. Jack Trahan of Kingman, Ariz., placed fourth and earned $703 with 5 pounds, 11 ounces.

First place in the Co-Angler Division and $1,624 went to Glenda Jackson of Las Vegas, Nev., who topped 31 competitors with a final round catch of four bass weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce. Second place in the division and $812 went to Jeffery Farmer of Twentynine Palms, Calif., with 4 pounds, 8 ounces, while Leonard Thorpe of Torrance, Calif., took third place and $406 with 4 pounds, 7 ounces.

Robert Lorentz of Phoenix, Ariz., and Leonard Thorpe of Torrance, Calif., tied for the co-angler Big Bass Award with a 3-pound, 7-ounce bass. Each angler received $77 for the catch.

Dennis Kolender of Henderson, Nev., landed the Divisional Points Championship and $1,000 with 1,168 points won during five regular season tournaments. Tyler Brinks of Henderson, Nev., landed the Co-Angler Points Championship and $500 with 1,149 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Colorado River Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 23-27 on Lake Shasta near Redding, Calif., where they will go up against top competitors from the Western divisions for a shot at qualifying for the BFL All-American, which features an estimated purse of $345,000 and ranks as one of the most lucrative post-season tournaments in competitive angling. The top two boaters and
co-anglers may also qualify for the Ranger M1 tournament in Mobile, Ala., Feb. 27-March 2, 2002, where they can win up to $1 million.

Awards for the 2001 BFL season could reach $5.7 million based on full fields
at each tournament.