Bass Federation Tournament Leader is Horton

ALABAMA'S HORTON RETAINS LEAD IN THE BASS FEDERATION NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ON LAKE WYLIE

Virginia's Andrews Retains Co-angler Lead

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (April 20, 2007) - For Jamie Horton of Centerville, Ala., The Bass Federation National Championship presented by the National Guard on Lake Wylie this week is the culmination of nearly two years of planning. Now, with a two-day total catch of 10 bass weighing 31 pounds, 9 ounces and a 2-pound, 6-ounce lead on the rest of the field, Horton is one day away from making his dream a reality.

Nearly two years ago, Horton decided to forgo a chance at qualifying for the Bassmaster Classic on his home lake and opted instead to take a shot at "Living the Dream" when The Bass Federation announced that its national champion would receive a $100,000 prize package that includes automatic entry into the $2 million Forrest Wood Cup and $1 million All-American, automatic entry into and entry fees paid for the 2008 Wal-Mart FLW Tour or Wal-Mart FLW Series, $10,000 cash, and use of a wrapped Chevy truck and Ranger boat powered by Evinrude or Yamaha.

"I've won over $40,000 on Lay Lake, and I gave up the chance to fish (the Classic) there to seal the deal here and fish for a living," said the 39-year-old project manager for a construction company. "When you plan something for so long and it starts coming together, it's a great feeling.

"I feel good about my chances," he added. "But now I have to close the deal, and I plan to do that by fishing more water than anyone else."

Horton caught five bass weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces Friday swimming a 1/2-ounce green-pumpkin Davis jig tipped with a Netbaits Paca Craw. He was working the bait around wood and covering a lot of water. "These fish will bite if you find them," he said.

If his productive pattern holds up one more day, Horton will advance to the 2007 All-American presented by Chevy on the Ohio River in Louisville, Ky., May 30-June 2 along with the top boater from each of the six TBF divisions represented in Charlotte. He will also advance to the 2007 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Castrol in Hot Springs, Ark., Aug. 2-5, where the nation's top pros will compete for the sport's first $1 million award.

Horton is representing the Southern Division. The other division-leading boaters are Greg Cooper of Monroe City, Mo. (Central Division, 10 bass, 29-3); Dave Andrews of Bolton, Ma. (Eastern Division, 10 bass, 28-12); Derek Cummings of Eaton Rapids, Mich. (Northern Division, 10 bass, 26-8); Aaron Echternkamp of Moses Lake, Wash. (Western Division, 10 bass, 26-0) and David Keisel of Virginia Beach, Va. (Mid-Atlantic Division, 10 bass, 24-3).

William Kramer of Gaithersburg, Md., and John Albidrez of Fresno, Calif., tied for the day's big bass award in the Boater Division with 3-pound, 15-ounce largemouths and earned $125 each.

Overall there were 160 bass weighing 359 pounds, 12 ounces caught by 35 boaters. The catch included 28 five-bass limits and one zero.

David Andrews, a 50-year-old carpenter from Fairfax, Va., representing the Mid-Atlantic Division, retained his co-angler lead with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 6 ounces.

If Andrews holds on for the win, he will earn a $10,000 prize package that includes a berth into the Forrest Wood Cup for a chance to fish for as much as $50,000. He will also earn a berth into the All-American along with the top co-angler from each TBF division for a chance to fish for as much as $70,000.

Rounding out the division-leading co-anglers are Kevin Wells of South Shore, Ky. (Northern Division, 10 bass, 22-12); Wayne Black of San Mateo, Fla. (Southern Division, nine bass, 20-14); Gerald Wright of Pasco, Wash. (Western Division, nine bass, 20-12); James Mitchell of Independence, Mo. (Central Division, nine bass, 18-15) and Ronald Herbert Jr. of East Livermore, Maine (Eastern Division, 10 bass, 18-15).

Skip Sjobeck of Randolph, Vt., earned the day's big bass award of $250 in the Co-angler Division with a 4-pound, 8-ounce largemouth.

Overall there were 129 bass weighing 270 pounds, 11 ounces caught by 36 co-anglers. The catch included 14 five-bass limits.

More than 99 percent of the fish weighed in Friday were released alive.

Anglers qualified for the no-entry-fee TBF National Championship through a series of TBF club, state and divisional tournaments.

Competitors will takeoff at 7 a.m. from Copperhead Island Park located at 15200 Soldier Road in Charlotte Saturday. Anglers will weigh in at 4 p.m. at the Charlotte Merchandise Mart, Liberty Hall, located at 2500 E. Independence Blvd. in Charlotte. Surrounding the weigh-in is the National Guard Expo, which opens at noon Saturday. The National Guard Expo features games, prizes, free product samples and displays for fishing fans of all ages to enjoy. Admission is absolutely free, and as part of the festivities, children 14 and under accompanied by an adult who attend the National Guard Expo and weigh-in Saturday will also receive a free rod and reel combo while supplies last.

The entire field of 36 TBF boaters and 36 co-anglers fished Thursday and Friday for an accumulated two-day weight. The top boater and co-angler from each of the TBF's six divisions advanced to the final day of competition Saturday, carrying their weight from the opening round into the final round. The winners will be determined by the heaviest three-day accumulated weight.

Coverage of the TBF National Championship presented by the National Guard will be broadcast to 81 million FSN (Fox Sports Net) subscribers in the United States on May 27 as part of the "FLW Outdoors" television program. "FLW Outdoors" airs Sunday mornings at 11 Eastern time. "FLW Outdoors" is also broadcast internationally to 429 million households in such countries as Germany, China, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia, Russia, Hungary and the United Kingdom, making it the most widely distributed fishing program in the world. Additionally, FLW Outdoors is proud to provide tournament coverage to more than 800,000 servicemembers stationed around the world in 177 countries and aboard Navy ships through broadcasts on the American Forces Network.

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 offer combined purses of nearly $43 million through 241 events in 2007.

The Bass Federation Inc. (TBF) is owned by those it serves and is dedicated to the sport of fishing. TBF affiliated state federations and their member clubs conduct more than 20,000 fishing, youth and conservation events at the local level each year and have provided the foundation for the entire bass fishing industry for more than 30 years. For more information about The Bass Federation, visit bassfederation.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 Walmart.com.

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