Williams wins co-angler title
Steve Sommer of Norman, Oklahoma, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division tournament of 2016 on Fort Gibson Lake. For his victory, Sommer took home $4,472.
“I started my day running 5 miles up the main river to a pair of humps,” said Sommer, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “At one end, it was 18 feet deep, while the other was at about 45 feet. I threw into where it all topped off at 6 feet.”
Sommer said he used a plum-colored Zoom Ol’ Monster Worm and caught his first limit-fish from the hump within 20 minutes.
“After that I left the area for two hours and caught a limit farther north on a watermelon-red-colored Zoom Brush Hog,” said Sommer. “At midday I came back and caught three more big ones off of the Zoom worm. I fished it slowly. They hit it right when it got up the ledge and onto the 6-foot mark.”
The Oklahoma angler said he ended up boating 10 keepers throughout the event.
“I really enjoyed my day out there,” said Sommer. “I’m looking forward to fishing the next event in our division – a two-day super tournament at Grand Lake.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Steve Sommer, Norman, Okla., five bass, 20-9, $4,472
2nd: Cameron Pappan, Winfield, Kan., five bass, 20-6, $2,236
3rd: Mark Johnson, Weleetka, Okla., five bass, 19-11, $1,492
4th: Derek Fulps, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 18-15, $1,043
5th: T.J. Martin, Owasso, Okla., five bass, 18-14, $894
6th: Ed Barton, Vian, Okla., five bass, 18-10, $820
7th: Brett Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 18-3, $745
8th: Joel Baker, Talala, Okla., five bass, 18-1, 633
8th: Crawford Brantley, Haysville, Kan., five bass, 18-1, $633
10th: Matt Garner, Seminole, Okla., five bass, 17-14, $522
Chris Jones of Pocola, Oklahoma, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds even – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $650.
Benny Williams Jr. of Poteau, Oklahoma, weighed in five bass totaling 19 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,561.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Benny Williams Jr., Poteau, Okla., five bass, 19-2, $2,561
2nd: William Hudson, Norman, Okla., five bass, 16-6, $1,118
3rd: Ken Hagar, Colcord, Okla., five bass, 15-10, $633
3rd: Myron Means, Van Buren, Ark., five bass, 15-10, $633
5th: Chris Zins, Oklahoma City, Okla., four bass, 13-15, $428
5th: Dick Hindman, Sapulpa, Okla., five bass, 13-15, $428
7th: Cory Miller, Marlow, Okla., five bass, 13-14, $373
8th: Jeffrey Bullinger, Sapulpa, Okla., four bass, 13-0, $335
9th: Clint James, Colcord, Okla., five bass, 12-15, $298
10th: Jerry Powell, Winfield, Kan., three bass, 12-6, $261
Williams also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $325.
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
