Conn wins co-angler title
Roger Stegall of Iuka, Mississippi, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division tournament of 2015 on Pickwick Lake. For his victory, Stegall earned $8,197.
“Winning a tournament like this is a feeling that I haven’t experienced for a few years now,” said Stegall.
Stegall said that he started his day fishing cuts and bars near the takeoff location. Around 6:30 a.m. he caught a 4½-pound smallmouth bass – his second largest fish of the day – using a chartreuse-colored Strike King 6XD Crankbait.
Stegall said he focused on eight spots with similar structure as the day progressed, but used different baits in order to catch his fish.
“I rotated between a Blue Craw-colored Strike King Hack Attack Jig with a green-pumpkin-colored trailer, and a Carolina rig with a green-pumpkin Strike King Game Hawg,” said Stegall. “Strike King natural colors always clean up this time of year.”
Stegall said he caught approximately 15 keepers throughout the day.
“I didn’t think I had as much weight as I needed when the day came to a close,” Stegall said. “I fished hard to catch a 5- or 6-pounder to win, but it turns out I didn’t need it.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Roger Stegall, Iuka, Miss., five bass, 19-5, $5,197 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus + $1,000 Mercury Bonus
2nd: Jeremy Utley, Florence, Ala., five bass, 19-3, $2,598
3rd: Jeff McLain, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 17-13, $1,733
4th: Brandon Perkins, Counce, Tenn., four bass, 16-10, $1,213
5th: Blake Daugherty, Batesville, Miss., five bass, 16-0, $1,039
6th: Shannon Denson., Brandon, Miss., five bass, 15-14, $953
7th: Kevin Daigle, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 15-13, $866
8th: Heath Gilmore, Meridian, Miss., five bass, 15-12, $780
9th: Darrell Moon, Corinth, Miss., five bass, 15-7, $693
10th: Michael Savell, Brandon, Miss., five bass, 15-5, $606
Perkins caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $810.
Charles Conn of Pearl, Mississippi, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win $2,566 in the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Charles Conn, Pearl, Miss., five bass, 16-5, $2,566
2nd: Kenneth Underwood, Columbus, Miss., five bass, 14-15, $1,283
3rd: Douglas Vierling, Gulfport, Miss., five bass, 13-6, $855
4th: Jason Mitchell, Hamilton, Miss., five bass, 13-3, $599
5th: Joe Cornelius, Corinth, Miss., five bass, 12-6, $513
6th: Steve Holcombe, Cuba, Ala., five bass, 11-13, $471
7th: Alford Cherry, Monroe, La., five bass, 11-9, $428
8th: Jeremy Kelley, Covington, La., five bass, 11-7, $385
9th: Benny Brown, Corinth, Miss., five bass, 11-2, $342
10th: John Swords, Collierville, Tenn., five bass, 10-15, $299
Scott Brown of Lucedale, Mississippi, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $400.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 22-24 Regional Championship on Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Alabama. 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 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. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2015 over the course of 240 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
