PLATTSBURGH -- The bass tournament season for Plattsburgh wraps up this weekend when the Empire Division of the $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League hits Lake Champlain for its final regular-season event. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $67,500 in cash, including a top award of $9,000 in the Boater Division.

The two-day Super Tournament will start with the full field competing Saturday and continue with the top 20 percent of the field competing Sunday. Winners will be determined by the heaviest two-day catch.

If the winner is a participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, he will receive a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats and $500 from Yamaha if his boat is powered by Yamaha. Ranger will award $500 to the highest-finishing Ranger Cup participant if not the winner, and Yamaha will kick in $250 if the boat is powered by Yamaha. Bombardier will award $1,000 to the winning boater if the winner's boat is equipped with a qualifying Evinrude E-TEC or Direct Injection outboard. That's a potential top award of $11,000 for anglers who meet contingency guidelines.

The winning co-angler will earn as much as $4,500 cash.

Snickers Big Bass awards of up to $1,500 and $750, respectively, will also be awarded in the Boater and Co-angler Divisions.

Anglers may register for the tournament online at FLWOutdoors.com or by calling (270) 252-1000. Onsite registration will be held Sept. 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Wal-Mart store located at 25 Consumer Square in Plattsburgh. Entry fees are $300 for boaters and $150 for co-anglers.

Plattsburgh Boat Basin and Marina will host takeoffs and weigh-ins at 6:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., respectively.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in the Empire Division standings following the Lake Champlain Super Tournament will advance to the no-entry-fee Potomac River Regional Championship in Marbury, Md., Oct. 11-13 where boaters will fish against top qualifiers from the Northeast, Piedmont and Shenandoah divisions. Seven regional championships will each send six boaters and six co-anglers to the no-entry-fee 2008 Wal-Mart BFL All-American presented by Chevy, which features a $1 million purse and a top award of $140,000 in the Boater Division and $70,000 in the Co-angler Division.

Empire Division

Standings

Top 10 boaters

Angler, hometownpts

1. Thomas LaVictoire, W Rutland, Vt755

2. Jamie Hartman, Poland, N.Y.727

3. Bill Duckardt, Pittsgrove, N.J.726