Brooke Morrison of Breaux Bridge, La., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division event on Atchafalaya Basin. For his victory, Morrison earned $2,694.
“I caught a bunch of fish all day long,” said Morrison. “But I discovered during practice that it was a chatterbait that really produced the bigger bass. That is what won the tournament for me. The tournament didn’t go anything like the practice. There were two other tournaments going on, so the lake was under a lot of pressure and the big bass didn’t cooperate. I really had to work to get my big one.
“I was targeting Cypress trees with hydrilla in 3 to 5 feet of water using a white chatterbait with a green pumpkin trailer. That’s what I caught my nice 4-pounder on,” Morrision continued. “I was getting a lot of numbers using a (Zoom) Brush Hog, but I just wasn’t getting anything good. I caught about 25 fish. Fifteen keepers.”
Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:
| 2nd: | Ronnie Buquet | Houma, La. | five bass | 15-2 | $1,347 |
| 3rd: | Randy Durand | Saint Martinville, La. | five bass | 12-11 | $898 |
| 4th: | Jeremy Guidry | Opelousas, La. | five bass | 12-10 | $629 plus $1,000 Evinrude bonus |
| 5th: | Bryan Adams | Monroe, La. | five bass | 12-8 | $539 |
| 6th: | Travis Merritt | Iowa, La. | five bass | 12-6 | $494 |
| 7th: | Kent McPhail | Lubbock, Texas | five bass | 12-2 | $449 |
| 8th: | Les Miller | Morrilton, Ark. | five bass | 12-1 | $404 |
| 9th: | Keith Hawkins | Missouri City, Texas | five bass | 11-14 | $359 |
| 10th: | Matthew Delaney | Pollock, La. | four bass | 11-8 | $314 |
Todd Boudreaux of Gray La. weighed in four bass totaling 11 pounds 14 ounces Saturday to win $1 347 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
| 2nd: | Randall Morgan | Rusk, Texas | four bass | 9-10 | $674 |
| 3rd: | Daniel Brock | Anna, Texas | four bass | 9-8 | $381 |
| Andrew Cavell | Baton Rouge, La. | five bass | 9-8 | $381 | |
| 5th: | Jonathan Primeaux | Lake Charles, La. | four bass | 9-5 | $269 |
| 6th: | Richard Hooter | Natchitoches,< La. | four bass | 8-13 | $247 |
| 7th: | Robert Moseley | Pecos, Texas | four bass | 8-1 | $225 |
| 8th: | Cory Chustz | Erwinville, La. | three bass | 7-7 | $191 |
| Tony Kemp | Youngsville, La. | three bass | 7-7 | $191 | |
| 10th: | Michael Phipps | Elm Grove, La. | four bass | 7-1 | $157 |
The next BFL Cowboy Division tournament is scheduled for June 9 on Bayou Black in Gibson, La. After the fifth Cowboy Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 18-20 Regional Championship on the Red River in Natchitoches, La. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 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 40 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 presented by Chevy. The 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water,” through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world’s richest fantasy sports game – FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit the FLWOutdoors or FantasyFishing websites and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.By: Julie Huber,
