Day wins co-angler title
Jeremiah Kindy of Benton, Arkansas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the second FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division tournament of 2016 on DeGray Lake. For his victory, Kindy took home $5,592.
“I concentrated on pockets that had a lot of bushes from the dam all the way up the Caddo River,” said Kindy, who earned his third win in FLW competition. “I targeted postspawn bucks that were feeding on fry in the shade.”
Kindy said he rotated between flipping a Watermelon Candy-colored Zoom Brush Hog and throwing a Zoom Horny Toad.
“If the bushes were really thick, I’d flip the Hog,” said Kindy. “If they were scattered, I preferred to skip the Toad in there. I probably hit 20 different pockets. The sun needed to be high, but not directly above my area. That’s when the shade was the best.”
The Arkansas angler said he was able to hook 12 to 14 keepers throughout his day.
“I caught most of my fish between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.,” said Kindy. “Two of my limit bass – including my biggest – came on the Hog, and the rest were on the Toad. I just kept my head down and stayed persistent.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jeremiah Kindy, Benton, Ark., five bass, 13-4, $3,592 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Danny Gwinn, Mount Ida, Ark., five bass, 12-12, $1,796
3rd: Cody Glaze, Bald Knob, Ark., five bass, 12-8, $1,661
4th: Greg Carpenter, Royal, Ark., five bass, 12-2, $838
5th: Kyle Henderson, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 11-15, $718
6th: Cody Burke, Bryant, Ark., five bass, 11-13, $659
7th: Stacey Tuggle, Bismarck, Ark., five bass, 11-12, $599
8th: Quincy Houchin, Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 11-4, $539
9th: Joey Cifuentes, Clinton, Ark., five bass, 11-2, $479
10th: Evan Barnes, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 10-15, $419
Glaze caught a 4-pound, 1-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $460.
Gary Day of Auburndale, Florida, weighed in five bass totaling 7 pounds, 8 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $1,796.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Gary Day, Auburndale, Fla., five bass, 7-8, $1,796
2nd: John Andrews Jr., Cherry Valley, Ark., three bass, 6-10, $898
3rd: Steven Sherrill, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 6-9, $598
4th: Derwin Thomas, Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 6-8, $419
5th: Dusty Rhoades, Gravelly, Ark., three bass, 5-9, $344
5th: John McCullar, Benton, Ark., three bass, 5-9, $344
7th: Jimmy Terry, Mabelvale, Ark., two bass, 5-3, $284
7th: Zach Doan, Leola, Ark., four bass, 5-3, $284
9th: Alex Wigley, El Dorado, Ark., three bass, 5-2, $224
9th: Branko Todorovic, Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 5-2, $224
Wayne Hutton of Imboden, Arkansas, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 3 pounds, 10 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $230.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. 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
