CLAYTON, N.Y. (Aug. 28, 2006) - Boater Thomas Lavictoire of West Rutland, Vt., earned $4,359 Saturday as winner of the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Empire Division event on 1000 Islands. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Empire Division events and earned Lavictoire 200 points in the Boater Division.
Lavictoire's winning catch of five bass weighed 21 pounds, 4 ounces.
Lavictoire also took home an additional $1,000 for being the highest placing Ranger Cup participant.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Tom Belinda of Hollidaysburg, Pa. (five bass, 18 pounds, 14 ounces, $2,179); Christopher Brown of Rodman, N.Y. (five bass, 18 pounds, 1 ounce, $1,452) and Jamie Hartman of Poland, N.Y. and Michael Morrin of Waterloo, N.Y. tied for fourth (five bass, 17 pounds, 2 ounces, $944a peice).
Craig Dubois of Sprakers, N.Y. won the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award with a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass that earning him $625.
Dustin Edwards of Manchester, Conn., won the Co-angler Division and earned $2,175 thanks to five bass weighing 17 pounds, 12 ounces.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Scott Rickerson of Waterloo, N.Y. (five bass, 16 pounds, 2 ounces, $1,088); Donald Quonce of Pulaski, N.Y. (five bass, 16 pounds, $726); Nick Angiulo of Hainesport, N.J. (five bass, 15 pounds, 6 ounces, $507); and Eric McDonald of Winsted, Conn. (five bass, 15 pounds, 1 ounce, $435).
McDonald also earned an additional $307 as the co-angler Snickers Big Bass winner with a 5-pound, 6-ounce bass.
The Empire Division's next event will take place on Lake Champlain near Ticonderoga, N.Y., Sept. 23-24 for their two-day Super Tournament, the division's fifth and final event.
The top 40 Empire Division boaters and co-anglers based on year-end points standings will advance to the no-entry-fee Smith Mountain Regional Championship near Moneta, Va., Oct. 19-21, where they will compete against North Carolina, Northeast and Piedmont anglers for a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck in the Boater Division plus six slots in the no-entry-fee 2007 Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. With a total purse of $1 million and a potential $140,000 cash going to the winning boater and $70,000 going to the winning co-angler, the All-American is one of the most prestigious and lucrative events in bass fishing.
The boater with the most points who advances the farthest at the All-American will earn $10,000 as the Yamaha "Be the Best" points champion. The co-angler points champion who advances the farthest will earn $5,000 as the Yamaha "Be the Best" points champion in the Co-angler Division.
Every angler who receives weight credit in a tournament earns points, with 200 points going to the winner, 199 for second, 198 for third, and so on except for Super Tournaments, which award 300 points to the winner, 299 for second, 298 for third, and so on.
The $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League features 28 divisions nationwide. In BFL competition, boaters and co-anglers are randomly paired, with boaters supplying the boat and fishing against other boaters and co-anglers fishing 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, Stratos Owners' Tournament Trail, 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 offer combined purses exceeding $37.9 million through 249 events in 2006.
For more information or to enter a tournament, call (270) 252-1000 or visit FLWOutdoors.com.
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.
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