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"Only in this sport would that happen," said a grateful Dick Shaffer of Rockford. "And I'd have to say it happens on a regular basis."

Shaffer, a veteran pro bass angler won last weekend's Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Regional on Kentucky Lake. For his win, he took home a fully rigged Ranger boat and a new Chevy truck worth about $50,000.

He also won $1,000 and an entry in next spring's $1 million Wal-Mart BFL All-American.

The story, however, is not that he won, it's how he did it.

Shaffer fished about 40 miles away from the weigh-in site and headed back with his hefty catch with plenty of time. Then it happened: his motor lost power.

"It was an electronic thing, but I was able to go 35 miles per hour and still had plenty of time."

Then, about five miles away from the dock, the motor dropped down to a dead idle. He could go no more.

Another tournament boater stopped to tow him in. It was Jason Sain of Beechgrove, Tenn., who was leading the tournament after two days.

They made the weigh-in on time and Shaffer beat Sain by less than a pound.

Shaffer won $50,000 and Sain ended up with $4,000 for second.

"It's just the way it worked out," said Shaffer, a 47-year-old concrete contractor. "He knows I'd do the same thing for him."

Shaffer is no stranger to the All-American.

He's fished it three times, finishing eighth in 2002 and winning $5,500 and 17th in 2005, winning $1,750. He also won an Everstart championship in 2003, taking home a boat and $25,000 cash.

In winning the regional, Shaffer had a three-day catch of 15 bass, weighing 37 pounds, 1 ounce.

"I've been so close so many times but haven't been able to pull it out at the end, but this time I did," he said. "I won that Everstart back in 2002, but I was beginning to think I wasn't ever going to win one again."

Craig Ambos of Botkins finished ninth with 20 pounds, 8 ounces and won $700.

New link to outdoors

If you are planning any kind of outdoor adventure in Ohio, there's a new place to begin your journey, a Web site called thenaturalresource.com.

The Natural Resource, which bills itself as "The Definitive Link to the Great Outdoors," is a map-driven site that gives you information in an instant.

Let's say you are planning a hunting trip to southeast Ohio, but you've never been there. TNR is a good place to start for information on where to go and how to get around.

Looking for a campground? A state park? A hunting license and supplies? Need to find a check station? Check out TNR.

"We started out trying to provide information for the hook and bullet group, but we will be expanding all the time," said Eric Kraus, TNR's founder and operator. But we will be expanding and improving all the time.

Besides hunting, TNR offers instant information about fishing, boating and camping.