Smith wins co-angler title
Jeff Knight of Cleveland, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division tournament of 2015 on South Holston Reservoir. For his victory, Knight earned $3,514.
Knight said his winning bass came from spots near the South Holston Dam, where there was lay-down on the main river.
“My boat sat in about 35 feet of water and I would fish the drop-offs,” said Knight. “There was a lot of action in the trees so I knew I would be sticking around there for a while. I caught nine keepers in the 3½- to 4-pound range by the end of the day.”
Knight said his key baits were a green-pumpkin-colored V&M football-head jig and a bone-colored wakebait.
“I would just keep running the wakebait across the top of those trees and grab the jig if that didn’t work,” said Owen. “Luckily the fish weren’t too finicky.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 17-2, $3,514
2nd: Wayne Coppage, Jonesboro, Tenn., five bass, 16-1, $1,757
3rd: Kevin Edwards, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 15-15, $1,172
4th: Seth Austin, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 15-13, $820
5th: Sam Meade, Coeburn, Va., five bass, five bass, 15-7, $703
6th: Nick Meadows, Cedar Bluff, Va., five bass, 14-14, $644
7th: Jimmy Amburgey, Lebanon, Va., five bass, 14-11, $556
7th: Doug Burke, Castlewood, Va., five bass, 14-11, $556
9th: Derrick Blake, Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 14-7, $469
10th: Corey Neece, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 14-2, $410
Jerry Goodner of Cleveland, Tennessee, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounce and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $450.
Craig Smith of Knoxville, Tennessee, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win $1,753 in the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Craig Smith, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 12-12, $1,753
2nd: Joshua Jernigan, Rocky Top, Tenn., five bass, 12-8, $876
3rd: Marcus White, Johnson City, Tenn., five bass, 11-15, $585
4th: Jason Melton, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 9-2, $409
5th: Christopher Fleming, Clinchco, Va., four bass, 8-12, $351
6th: Wade Gilbert, Lafayette, Ga., three bass, 8-10, $306
6th: Jessee Roberts, Big Stone Gap, Va., four bass, 8-10, $306
8th: Franklin Ray, Unicoi, Tenn., three bass, 8-3, $263
9th: Tony Brown, Harriman, Tenn., three bass, 8-0, $219
9th: Steve Hall, Hillsville, Va., three bass, 8-0, $219
Luther Crass Jr. of Harriman, Tennessee, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $220.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Lake Wateree in Camden, 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 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
