Best wins co-angler title
Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division tournament on Pickwick Lake presented by Navionics. For his victory, Washam took home $7,273.
“I was able to dial in on fish that were in very specific transition areas,” said Washam, who logged the first win of his FLW career. “Basically, they were in small stretches of bank or cuts half way back into major creeks, including Yellow Creek.”
Washam said he hit 12 different areas, methodically working 50- to 75-yard stretches of bank.
“I focused on small spots that boats in front of me weren’t making multiple casts to,” said Washam. “It could’ve been between two docks or a subtle transition in the bank. At my first two stretches, I caught two 5-pounders and I built the rest of my catch around them.”
Washam said his lure – a green-pumpkin-colored Buckeye Finesse Jig with a Zoom Ultra Vibe Speed Craw – was crucial to his pattern.
“There was a lot of boat pressure in the creeks, but with the finesse jig, I was able to get behind people and still catch them,” said Washam. “Several of the fish I weighed in came from spots directly behind people. That was a huge advantage for me.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jimmy Washam, Covington, Tenn., five bass, 18-4, $5,273 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Norman Foskey, Biloxi, Miss., five bass, 17-9, $2,636
3rd: Jason Foster, Ripley, Miss., five bass, 17-2, $1,756
4th: Jeremy Utley, Florence, Ala., five bass, 16-15, $1,230
5th: Larry Materia, Collierville, Tenn., five bass, 16-8, $1,055
6th: Andy Houpt, Mantachie, Miss., five bass, 15-10, $967
7th: Christopher Scribner, Eupora, Miss., five bass, 14-6, $879
8th: Charles Watts, Corinth, Miss., five bass, 13-14, $791
9th: Nathan Ashmore, Baldwyn, Miss., five bass, 13-9, $703
10th: Dennis Kirby, Lakeland, Tenn., five bass, 13-2, $615
Mike Jones of Brandon, Mississippi, caught a 7-pound, 6-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $830.
David Best of Bartlett, Tennessee, weighed in three bass totaling 13 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,636.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: David Best, Bartlett, Tenn., three bass, 13-5, $2,636
2nd: Valerie Harrelson, Glen, Miss., five bass, 12-6, $1,318
3rd: Benny Brown, Corinth, Miss., five bass, 11-9, $879
4th: Connor Martin, Marion, Ark., four bass, 10-7, $615
5th: Josh Hamilton, Maben, Miss., three bass, 10-1, $527
6th: Mike Allen, Crystal Springs, Miss., three bass, 8-13, $461
6th: Nick Churchill, Jackson, Miss., four bass, 8-13, $461
8th: Phil Bramlett III, Ripley, Miss., four bass, 8-6, $395
9th: Mark Lee, Starkville, Miss., three bass, 8-4, $352
10th: David Stevens, Smithville, Miss., three bass, 8-0, $308
Curtis Powell of Brandon, Mississippi, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $415.
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
