Fussell wins co-angler title
Jason Bonds of Lufkin, Texas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 6 ounces, Sunday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Cowboy Division Super Tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 45 pounds, 3 ounces. For his victory, Bonds took home $8,595.
“I focused on a couple of structure-based areas near mid-lake points each day of the event,” said Bonds, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “At my first stop, I got lined up and caught two keepers in two throws on a Texas-rigged Bug Bug-colored Double Z Custom Lures Bull Whip Worm on a Power Tackle Paragon Series rod. After catching four more on the Whip Worm, I had about 18 pounds in the boat.”
Around noon, Bonds said he went to some shallow areas on the main lake and used a Strike King Pop ‘N Perch in haygrass. He said he ended up with approximately 12 keepers by the end of the day.
“On Day Two I ran between my mid-lake points and was able to piece together a limit,” said Bonds. “At my fifth stop, I caught a 6½-pounder with the Bull Whip. That put me in a good position to win it all.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jason Bonds, Lufkin, Texas, 10 bass, 45-3, $6,595 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Albert Collins, Nacogdoches, Texas, 10 bass, 41-2, $3,148
3rd: Garret Whitley, Quinlan, Texas, 10 bass, 40-0, $2,096
4th: Clayton Boulware, Zavalla, Texas, 10 bass, 39-14, $1,669
5th: John Maddox, Lufkin, Texas, 10 bass, 39-0, $1,259
6th: Phil Marks, Dallas, Texas, 10 bass, 38-7, $1,154
7th: Keith Hawkins, Missouri City, Texas, 10 bass, 36-2, $1,049
8th: Charles Dubroc, Hessmer, La., 10 bass, 35-6, $944
9th: Joshua Guy, Texarkana, Texas, 10 bass, 35-5, $839
10th: Scotty Villines, Ponca, Ark., 10 bass, 34-2, $834
Bud Pruitt of Houston, Texas, caught a bass weighing 8 pounds even – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the Boater Big Bass award of $877.
Bill Fussell of Thibodaux, Louisiana, won the co-angler division and earned $3,148 with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 9 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Bill Fussell, Thibodaux, La., 10 bass, 30-9, $3,148
2nd: Jim Fortenberry, Zavalla, Texas, 10 bass, 27-8, $1,574
3rd: Jace Patterson, Ruston, La., 10 bass, 26-14, $1,050
4th: Charles Hogg, Haughton, La., 10 bass, 24-8, $734
5th: Justin Dubois, Deville, La., 10 bass, 22-14, $630
6th: Jason Chance, Houston, Texas, eight bass, 22-9, $677
7th: Jerry Riddle, Summit, Miss., 10 bass, 22-8, $525
8th: Cole Ashby, Bridge City, Texas, eight bass, 22-3, $472
9th: Kevin Smith, Dayton, Texas, 10 bass, 22-2, $420
10th: Chad Poulsen, Bossier City, La., nine bass, 21-9, $417
Bobby Liles of Texarkana, Arkansas, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces, and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $439.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 27-29 Regional Championship on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Arkansas. 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 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 winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart 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 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico 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: Brian Johnson, FLW
