Pace wins co-angler title
Bo Hunter of Gardendale, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Bama Division tournament of 2015 on Lay Lake. For his victory, Hunter earned $4,127.
Hunter said he focused on mid- and upper-river areas on the Coosa River where the current created seams and edges.
“I preferred to stop at isolated wood patches where the water separated,” said Hunter. “The bass seemed to be attracted to the sudden change of direction.
“My first fish came on a Lucky Craft Gunfish topwater bait,” Hunter continued. “When the bait went down about seven feet there was a lot of activity.”
After catching two keepers, Hunter said he spent his afternoon targeting 14 different areas with a coonasty-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.
“I caught my two largest fish on the Sweet Beaver,” said Hunter. “Luckily I had enough weight to edge the competition.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Bo Hunter, Gardendale, Ala., five bass, 15-13, $4,127
2nd: David Lowery, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 14-15, $1,720
2nd: Kyle Mabrey, McCalla, Ala., five bass, 14-15, $1,720
4th: Gary Givens, Mobile, Ala., five bass, 14-9, $894
4th: Jake Turnbloom, Calera, Ala., five bass, 14-9, $894
6th: Will Davis, Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 14-6, $757
7th: Barry Isbell, Trussville, Ala., five bass, 14-1, $688
8th: Alexander Wilson Sr., Elmore, Ala., five bass, 14-0, $619
9th: Tony Couch, Buckhead, Ga., five bass, 13-15, $550
10th: Nicholas Harris, Alabaster, Ala., five bass, 13-10, $482
Jimmy Millsaps of White, Georgia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $575.
Shane Pace of Cantonment, Florida, weighed in five bass totaling 13 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win $2,064 in the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Shane Pace, Cantonment, Fla., five bass, 13-2, $2,064
2nd: Danny Smith, Tyrone, Ga., five bass, 12-14, $1,032
3rd: Dennis McGouirk, Carrollton, Ga., five bass, 11-15, $688
4th: Howard Avery, Newnan, Ga., four bass, 10-5, $482
5th: Mark Denney, Bonaire, Ga., five bass, 9-14, $413
6th: Jeff Ferrell, Oxford, Ga., five bass, 9-11, $378
7th: Robert Hays, Elmore, Ala., four bass, 9-8, $344
8th: Keith Lynch, River Falls, Ala., five bass, 9-3, $292
8th: Gary Marlowe, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 9-3, $292
10th: Chris Hawkins, Adger, Ala., three bass, 8-12, $241
Michael Roush of Mobile, Alabama, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $287.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Georgia. 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.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2015 over the course of 240 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
