POWROZNIK WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE PIEDMONT DIVISION EVENT ON JAMES RIVER

                                                                                          

HENRICO, Va. (July 20, 2015) – Ryan Powroznik of Prince George, Virginia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division tournament on the James River. For his victory, Powroznik earned $7,507.

Powroznik said that he caught nearly 12 keepers on the James by targeting wood and grass in 3- to 5-feet of water.

“I caught two of my biggest fish using a black and blue Shooter Lures jig trailered with a black and blue-colored Zoom Super Chunk,” said Powroznik, who earned the second BFL series win of his career. “After the first one bit at 9:30 a.m., I just kept hacking away looking for the big ones.”

Powroznik said the majority of his fish bit on the Shooter jig, but a key bite came on a black and chartreuse-colored custom crankbait later in the day.

“I ran to a few more brushpiles to catch a limit before heading in. I also had found a good bite in some rocks,” said Powroznik. “When you’re from the area, you always keep a few spots in your back pocket in case you need to grab a few more fish.”

  The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Ryan Powroznik, Prince George, Va., five bass, 17-15, $4,507 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus + $1,000 Mercury Bonus

2^nd:         Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 15-6, $2,253

3^rd:          Kelly Pratt, Williamsburg, Va., five bass, 14-6, $1,502

4^th:          Brian Calloway, Danville, Va., five bass, 14-3, $1,052

5^th:          Kyle Joyce, Reidsville, N.C., five bass, 13-2, $863

5^th:          Wally Szuba, Cary, N.C., five bass, 13-2, $863

7^th:          Tim Wiltfong, Wake Forest, N.C., five bass, 12-13, $751

8^th:          Otis Darnell, Linden, Va., five bass, 12-11, $638

8^th:          James Seabolt, Dunn, N.C., five bass, 12-11, $638

10^th:        David Deciucis, Chester, Va., five bass, 12-4, $526

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Tom Hebb of Moneta, Virginia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $655.

Damon Reid of Bowie, Maryland, weighed in five bass totaling 12 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win $2,253 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Damon Reid, Bowie, Md., five bass, 12-12, $2,253

2^nd:         Bill Burton, Vernon Hill, Va., four bass, 11-12, $1,127

3^rd:          Derek Sewell, Forest, Va., five bass, 11-10, $751

4^th:          Jimmy Holland, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 11-3, $526

5^th:          Travis Garrett, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 11-1, $451

6^th:          Aaron Bartlett, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 10-7, $413

7^th:          Dexter Andrews, Louisburg, N.C., five bass, 10-5, $376

8^th:          Roderick Mangum, Durham, N.C., five bass, 9-9, $338

9^th:          David Stone, Midlothian, Va., four bass, 8-13, $300

10^th:        Derek Brown, Charlottesville, Va., five bass, 8-12, $263

Jamie Baynard of Clayton, North Carolina, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $327.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.