Kevin Treece of Fort Smith, Ark., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Okie Division event on the Arkansas River. For his victory, Treece earned $3,889.
Treece capitalized on muddy current for his first BFL win. “I locked down into Kerr and fished main-channel current breaks that had some coontail and hydrilla around them,” said Treece. “I felt like I was in the right area to win. I think a key was that a lot of people shied away from the colored water, and there weren’t many people around me.”
Treece said he fished a chartreuse and blue Rapala DT 6 and a hand-tied Okie Craw-colored jig with a green pumpkin Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver to catch most of his fish.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
| 2nd: | Charley Slanton | Valliant, Okla. | five bass | 16-7 | $1,944 |
| 3rd: | Casey Sullivan | Vian, Okla. | five bass | 14-5 | $1,297 |
| 4th: | Rayovac pro Jason Christie | Park Hill, Okla. | five bass | 13-13 | $907 |
| 5th: | Don Turner | Wagoner, Okla. | five bass | 13-10 | $778 |
| 6th: | Kevin Ledoux | Choctaw, Okla. | five bass | 13-1 | $713 |
| 7th: | Jason Gilstrap | Owasso, Okla. | five bass | 12-14 | $648 |
| 8th: | Christopher Jones | Bokoshe, Okla. | five bass | 12-11 | $551 |
| 8th: | Don McFarlin | Gordonville, Texas | five bass | 12-11 | $551 |
| 10th: | Billy Lemon | Sand Springs, Okla. | five bass | 12-5 | $454 |
Jesse Martin of Edmond, Okla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win $1,944 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
| 2nd: | Albert White | Crosby, Texas | five bass | 13-12 | $972 |
| 3rd: | Kevin Turner | Sand Springs, Okla. | five bass | 13-5 | $649 |
| 4th: | David Blankinship | Cushing, Okla. | three bass | 10-7 | $454 |
| 5th: | Bubba Graves | Wagoner, Okla. | five bass | 9-11 | $389 |
| 6th: | Mike Ketcher | Stilwell, Okla. | four bass | 8-15 | $356 |
| 7th: | Dylan Duncan | Kansas, Okla. | four bass | 8-11 | $324 |
| 8th: | Joe Holmes | Claremore, Okla. | four bass | 8-1 | $292 |
| 9th: | Mark Oakley | Davis, Okla. | four bass | 7-12 | $259 |
| 10th: | Donald Singleterry | Rogers, Ark. | three bass | 7-8 | $227 |
The next BFL Okie Division tournament is scheduled for Sept. 28-29 on Broken Bow Lake in Broken Bow, Okla. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Texoma in Pottsboro, Texas. 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. 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 anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2013 over the course of 220 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. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about FLW visit the FLWOutdoors website and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.By: Jody White, Communications Specialist / FLW Outdoors
