Shelby’s Carden Wins FLW Bass Fishing League Bama Division Event on Lay Lake
Coby Carden of Shelby, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bama Division tournament of 2016 on Lay Lake. For his victory, Carden took home $5,009.
Carden said he began his day fishing shallow willow grass on the upper end of the lake.
“I hit four areas and caught two 4-pound largemouths on a Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog 60,” said Carden, who earned his second win in FLW competition. “Around 9 a.m., I went out deep to main-river ledges to fill out my limit.”
Carden said he rotated between a Citrus Sparkle-colored Livingston Lures Dive Master crankbait and a Junebug Red-colored Big Bite Baits Kriet Tail Worm on the ledges.
“I had six ledges where I let the crankbait dive 10 feet down and ran the worm near stumps,” said Carden. “They were my sweet spots. I had my limit-fish by 1 p.m. and didn’t do much upgrading after that. I was just in the right place at the right time Saturday. It was a great tournament.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Coby Carden, Shelby, Ala., five bass, 18-2, $5,009
2nd: David Gaston, Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 17-2, $2,005
3rd: Chris Rutland, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 15-5, $1,336
4th: Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 14-0, $935
5th: Shawn Marquis, Fortson, Ga., five bass, 13-13, $802
6th: Kenny Malone, Columbiana, Ala., five bass, 13-5, $1,285
7th: Bobby Jones, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 13-4, $668
8th: Jeff Carreker, Locust Grove, Ga., five bass, 13-1, $601
9th: Joe Wikoff, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 12-15, $535
10th: Clabion Johns, Covington, Ga., five bass, 12-9, $468
Malone 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 $550.
Garrett Stevens of McDonough, Georgia, weighed in three bass totaling 11 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,135.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Garrett Stevens, McDonough, Ga., three bass, 11-2, $2,135
2nd: Danny Smith, Tyrone, Ga., five bass, 10-12, $1,000
3rd: Jeffrey Ford, Trion, Ga., five bass, 9-12, $666
4th: Chance Hebert, Norcross, Ga., five bass, 8-15, $467
5th: Slaton Jemison, Mathews, Ala., five bass, 8-14, $400
6th: Larry Purdie, Columbus, Ga., three bass, 8-6, $367
7th: Michael Donaldson, Thorsby, Ala., four bass, 8-0, $333
8th: Todd Radney, Oxford, Ala., four bass, 7-15, $300
9th: Michael Smith, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 7-10, $250
9th: Hayden Tilley, Ider, Ala., five bass, 7-10, $250
Rodney Thompson of Highland Home, Alabama, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $135.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 27-29 Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. 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
