Tennessee’s Armstrong tops Co-angler Division
Boater Dennis Barnes of Boaz, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division event on Lake Guntersville presented by Navionics. Barnes took home $6,046 for his victory.
According to post-tournament reports, Barnes caught his limit fishing grass in the mid-lake area. He threw a Rat-L-Trap and a swimbait, with the majority of his fish coming from depths of 6 to 8 feet. It was Barnes’ fourth career victory in BFL competition.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Dennis Barnes, Boaz, Ala., five bass, 22-1, $4,046 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Derek Remitz, Grant, Ala., five bass, 21-15, $2,578
3rd: Wayne Christopher, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 20-12, $1,348
4th: Daniel Whitaker, Phil Campbell, Ala., five bass, 20-6, $944
5th: Tyler Stewart, Killen, Ala.., five bass, 19-11, $809
6th: Jerry Perkins, Cullman, Ala.., five bass, 19-10, $742
7th: Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 19-2, $974
8th: Josh Butler, Athens, Ala., five bass, 18-13, $807
9th: Scott Towry, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., five bass, 17-10, $639
10th: Clayton Joyce, Chapel Hill, Tenn., five bass, 17-4, $472
Remitz caught a 6-pound, 9-ounce bass, which was the heaviest of the tournament in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $555.
Jerry Armstrong of Shelbyville, Tennessee, weighed in five bass totaling 17 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,300.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jerry Armstrong, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 17-14, $2,300
2nd: Rich Frey, Owens Cross Roads, Ala., five bass, 16-11, $1,011
3rd: Jacob Coil, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 16-4, $774
4th: Jody Evans, Toney, Ala., five bass, 14-5, $472
5th: Tony Hill, Chatsworth, Ga., five bass, 12-8, $455
6th: Keith Chadwell, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 12-7, $371
7th: Thomas Helton, Charleston, Tenn., five bass, 12-5, $337
8th: Heath Frizzell, Dunlap, Tenn., five bass, 11-14, $303
9th: Chad Biddle, Shelbyville, Ky., five bass, 11-1, $270
10th: Ray Elmore, Calhoun, Ga., five bass, 10-15, $236
Armstrong also weighed a 7-pound, 4-ounce bass which earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $277.
The T-H Marine BFL at Lake Guntersville presented by Navionics was hosted by the Marshall County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.
The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2017 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 274 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros.
By: Joe Opager, Director of Public Relations
