Derek Fulps of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, weighed in three bass totaling 11 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division finale on Fort Gibson Lake presented by Lowrance with a three-day total of 13 bass weighing 45 pounds, 5 ounces. For his win, Fulps took home $78,500, including a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
“On Thursday I started in the back of a feeder creek on the upper end of the lake and caught four keepers,” said Fulps, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I pitched and flipped a green-pumpkin-candy Gene Larew Hoodaddy to isolated wood and stumps, and casted a Hoodaddy Jr. that was the same color.
“Around 11 a.m., I headed to my sweet spot that I had found in practice,” Fulps continued. “It was a large submerged log that I came across after backing off the bank in the flat side of the river. I used the smaller lure – the Hoodaddy Jr. Downsizing my bait was the most important adjustment of the tournament for me.”
Fulps said he returned to the hole on Day Two and was able to piece together a limit fairly quick with the Hoodaddy Jr.
“I caught seven keepers and then left the area alone,” said Fulps. “Letting the fish replenish was crucial. It helped me get the win.”
On the final day of the event, Fulps said the morning bite was tough at his honey hole, so he returned to the feeder creek from Thursday. After a while he decided to give his sweet spot one more chance.
“I went back to the log and caught one that was nearly 6 pounds on the Hoodaddy Jr.,” said Fulps. “It was the biggest bass I caught all week. Without it, I wouldn’t have won.”
The top 10 pros on Fort Gibson Lake were:
1st: Derek Fulps, Broken Arrow, Okla., 13 bass, 45-5, $78,500
2nd: Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 15 bass, 43-4, $13,004
3rd: Brandon Mosley, Choctaw, Okla., 15 bass, 42-1, $9,990
4th: Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 41-10, $8,325
5th: Zack Birge, Blanchard, Okla., 15 bass, 41-3, $7,716
6th: Brett Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., 13 bass, 40-15, $6,660
7th: Brian Potter, Claremore, Okla., 15 bass, 37-14, $5,827
8th: Keystone Light pro Jeff Sprague, Point, Texas, 12 bass, 34-11, $4,995
9th: Chad Warren, Sand Springs, Okla., 12 bass, 30-9, $4,162
10th: Jeff Dobson, Ponca City, Okla., 11 bass, 30-1, $3,330
Birge caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 12 ounces Thursday – the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division – that earned him the day’s Big Bass award of $224.
Tate Brumnett of Wagoner, Oklahoma, won the co-angler division and a Ranger Z175 with a 90-horsepower Mercury or Evinrude outboard motor. Brumnett earned his win with a three-day total catch of 11 bass weighing 38 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers on Fort Gibson Lake were:
1st: Tate Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., 11 bass, 38-7, $27,000
2nd: Branson Phillips, Broken Arrow, Okla., 12 bass, 31-13, $4,400
3rd: Lonnie Miller, Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 25-15, $3,410
4th: Leroy Green, Alvin, Texas, eight bass, 24-10, $2,940
5th: David Underwood , Waco, Texas, eight bass, 22-6, $2,520
6th: Steve Baskins, Owasso, Okla., eight bass, 20-10, $2,100
7th: Todd Brown, Little Rock, Ark., eight bass, 19-5, $1,680
8th: Wade Goins, Salina, Okla., seven bass, 17-14, $1,470
9th: Scott Pickett, Chandler, Texas, eight bass, 17-11, $1,260
10th: Nick Muzljakovich, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 14-2, $1,199
Scott Stallings of Glencoe, Oklahoma, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division Thursday, a bass weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces that earned him the day’s Big Bass award of $149.
The Costa FLW Series consists of five divisions – Central, Northern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western. Each division consists of three tournaments with competitors vying for valuable points that could earn them the opportunity to fish in the Costa FLW Series Championship. The 2016 Costa FLW Series Championship is being held Nov. 3-5 on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri.
The Costa FLW Series on Fort Gibson Lake presented by Lowrance was the third and final stop of 2016 in the Southwestern Division. The next Costa FLW Series tournament will be a Central Division event, held Oct. 6-8, on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. For a complete schedule, visit FLWFishing.com.
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, South Africa 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
