Kimball, Tennessee, (April 15, 2011) Torrential downpours didn’t stop the show today as 94 TBF State Champion anglers fought until the bitter end on day two of the 2011 Federation National Championship presented by the National Guard on Lake Nickajack in Kimball, Tenn. 14 TBF anglers advance to the final round to vie for the National Champion titles. These 14 anglers put it all on the line today through the elements and came out 2011 Division Champions earning berths in the BFL All-American. Tomorrow, one boater and one non-boater will be crowned National Champions and receive spots in the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup. The 2011 Federation National Champion boater will also receive the $100,000 “Living the Dream” prize package, including cash and prizes, fully paid entry fees into the FLW tour, travel funds and use of a wrapped Ranger Boat and Chevrolet truck for the year. The anglers know what’s at stake; tomorrow, we’ll see who has what it takes to seize the titles and all the glory.
Yesterday’s top dog, Kenny Beale Jr., from Danville, V.A., held on tight to the hot spot with 16lb 6ounces and a 36lb 13ounce tournament total. “It was a lot tougher for me today. I think I only caught eight keepers; they just never really starting biting,” Beale said. “I was fishing up in my area around lunch and caught two 4 pounders five minutes of each other and that super helped me.” This was Beale’s first time to qualify for the Federation National Championship and now he’s a Division Champion who earned a spot at the BFL All-American and a chance to fish for the national title. “I’m really, really excited, honestly I didn’t think I had that much weight; I thought it was about 2lbs lighter. Today, I just fished hard in my two spots and didn’t budge; I fished very slow and very hard. Yesterday, they were biting left and right, hopefully, they will get back to that tomorrow.”
19 year old, Ryan Latinville, from Plattsburgh, N.Y., was a crowd favorite today with his 14lb 6ounce bag and 25lb 
4ounce tournament total. Latinville is the youngest angler to qualify for the 2011 Federation National Championship. Now, he’s on his way to the finals and the 2011 BFL All-American. He was all nerves waiting for the other anglers from the Eastern Division to cross the stage. But, he wasn’t alone; Casey Casamento, also from Plattsburgh, N.Y., stood beside him sweating the results from the Eastern Division on the boater’s side. Latinville and Casamento were both named Division Champions on the boater and non-boater side for the Eastern Division and advance to the final day. It’s rare for division champions to qualify from the same state. Tomorrow, we’ll see if these young hot shots from New York have what it takes to take it all the way.
Another unlikely event is the Northwest Division co-angler, Gene Lippincott, from Cusick, Wash., who qualified with his son Eric Lippincott for this tournament. They’re the only father and son team to qualify and they both represent the Wyoming TBF. Eric has fished the final day of the championship before, Gene has not and today he put all that in the past. Gene caught 9lb 2ounces making total 23lb 10ounces, advancing him to the finals and fulfilling a lifelong dream. “You know everybody is saying how the 19year old kid is all giggly; well that’s how I am right now,” Gene said with a grin. Gene and 13 other Division Champion TBF anglers will face off tomorrow with hopes of becoming the 2011 Federation National Champions on Lake Nickajack in Kimball, Tenn.
The final day of the Federation National Championship will be held in conjunction with the Walmart FLW Tour event one pool up on Lake Chickamauga and the weigh-in will be at the FLW Outdoors Expo in the Chattanooga Convention Center. There will be plenty of family activities and booths at the expo. All events and weigh-ins are free to the public. For results click here http://bassfederation.com/
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com.
ABOUT THE BASS FEDERATION (TBF)
The Bass Federation Inc., (TBF) is the oldest and largest, organized grassroots angling organization in America. 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 40 years. For more information, visit bassfederation.com or call 580.765.9031.
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| 2011 Federation National Championship |
