Pro Matthew Jones of Spokane, Mo., caught a five-bass limit weighing 15 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday to win the FLW American Fishing Series Central Division tournament on Lake Ouachita with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 53 pounds, 5 ounces. For his victory, Jones earned $20,726 and a 198VX Ranger boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Yamaha outboard motor.
“I caught every fish on a bed sight-fishing,” said Jones who was fishing Ouachita for the first time.. “I found spawning areas; put my trolling motor on high and covered as much water as I could. Today I had a limit by 1 p.m., but it was a small limit and I knew I needed a kicker to win.
“There was a big fish that was eluding me all week, I just couldn’t get her in the boat; so after I caught my limit today I went hunting. I rigged a drop-shot with a 1 1/2 ounce weight and a green and brown robo worm, set it in the bed and backed my boat out and she bit! That’s what won the tournament for me and I caught her within 10 minutes of starting the hunt.
“Aside from that last kicker I got the rest of my fish using a Zoom Critter Craw with a 5/16 ounce tungsten weight.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
| 2nd: | Stetson Blaylock | Benton, Ark. | 15 bass | 49-6 | $7,047 |
| 3rd: | Cary Bever | Rhinelander, Wis. | 15 bass | 47-13 | $4,974 |
| 4th: | Shane Long | Sarcoxie, Mo. | 15 bass | 47-11 | $4.175 |
| 5th: | Keith Green | Arkadelphia, Ark. | 15 bass | 45-5 | $3,731 |
| 6th: | Cody Bird | Granbury, Texas | 15 bass | 45-2 | $3,316 |
| 7th: | Roy Hawk | Salt Lake City, Utah | 15 bass | 44-2 | $2,902 |
| 8th: | Brandon Rhoden | Grapevine, Ark. | 15 bass | 43-15 | $2,487 |
| 9th: | Dennis Bean | , Hot Springs, Ark. | 15 bass | 42-11 | $2,073 |
| 10th: | Roger Harp | Huntsville, Ark. | 15 bass | 40-7 | $1,658 |
Randy Haynes of Counce, Tenn., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Friday – an 8-pound, 1-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Big Bass award of $226.
Keeton Blaylock of Benton, Ark., won the Co-angler Division and $8,384 with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 32 pounds, 5 ounces.
Blaylock was using a wacky rig and Carolina rig with a 6″ lizard to bag the majority of his fish. He said that all of his partners were mostly fishing beds which was a new experience for him. According to Blaylock he really had to keep his head down and keep working; it took him all day to bag his limits.
Blaylock caught five bass weighing 11-13 Thursday while fishing with pro Lloyd Pickett, Jr., of Bartlett, Tenn., to open the tournament in sixth place. On Friday he added five more bass weighing 11-15 to make the top-10 cut in first place while fishing with pro Dennis Bean.. Finally, on Saturday, he sealed the win with five bass weighing 8-9 while fishing with Matthew Jones.
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers were:
| 2nd: | Thomas (Nick) Loeffelman, Jr. | Valles Mines, Mo. | 15 bass | 29-6 | $3,353 |
| 3rd: | Chris Darby | , Mount Ida, Ark. | 14 bass | 29-2 | $1,677 |
| 4th: | Arnold Payne, Jr. | Noblesville, Ind. | 12 bass | 26-12 | $1,467 |
| 5th: | Jason Scoggins | Benton, Ark. | 14 bass | 26-11 | $1,258 |
| 6th: | David Davis | Paron, Ark. | 15 bass | 26-03 | $1,048 |
| 7th: | Ben Due | Mauston, Wis. | 12 bass | 25-12 | $838 |
| 8th: | Fred Martin | North Little Rock, Ark. | 13 bass | 24-6 | $755 |
| 9th: | Robert Prebeck | Norwood, Mo. | 12 bass | 23-2 | $671 |
| 10th: | Shawn Martin | Owasso, Okla. | 10 bass | 19-9 | $587 |
Arnold Payne, Jr., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday – a 6-pound, 1-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s Big Bass award of $150.
The top pro and co-angler based on point standings from each of the FLW American Fishing Series divisions – Central, Northern, Southeast and Texas – will qualify for the 2011 Forrest Wood Cup. The top 50 pros and co-anglers from each division also qualify for the American Fishing Series Invitational on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., Nov. 4-6, with the winning pro and co-angler also advancing to the Forrest Wood Cup.
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. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000.By: Julie Huber,
