Thomas wins co-angler title
James Pickett of Trafalgar, Indiana, weighed four bass totaling 14 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on Lake Monroe presented by Navionics. For his victory, Pickett earned $4,009.
Pickett said he targeted spawning bass in two different areas throughout his day. He said he caught each of the four fish he brought to the scale on a Texas-rigged Indiana Craw-colored Hawgback Tube.
“My first area was a 200-yard stretch of bank near Crooked Creek,” said Picket, who earned the first win of his FLW career. “The bass were spawning next to laydowns on the bank in ditches. I caught my first keeper within 30 minutes, and another one soon after. After that I ran east and hit another stretch with similar cover. After 20 minutes, I caught my final two big ones.”
Picket said the technique he used to position his bait in the cover was what helped him catch his winning limit.
“They key to my success was casting at the correct angle,” said Pickett. “You needed to run the bait down the laydown because they were spawning right next to it. They didn’t want it shook or snapped, so I let it lay there. When the time came to move it, I just pulled it along the bottom.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: James Pickett, Trafalgar, Ind., four bass, 14-4, $4,009
2nd: Terry Dillon, Danville, Ind., four bass, 12-0, $2,005
3rd: Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., five bass, 11-14, $1,336
4th: Eric Moore, Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 9-5, $935
5th: Kyle Weisenburger, Ottawa, Ohio, three bass, 9-0, $802
6th: Scott Bateman, Jasper, Ind., three bass, 8-15, $735
7th: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., three bass, 8-6, $668
8th: Chris Abrell, Terre Haute, Ind., four bass, 8-4, $601
9th: Roger Hahn, Fairfield, Ohio, two bass, 7-9, $535
10th: Travis Feuerbach, Bloomington, Ind., three bass, 7-8, $468
Calvin Davidson of Plainfield, Indiana, caught a 6-pound, 15-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $550.
John Thomas of Quincy, Indiana, weighed in three bass totaling 7 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,005.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: John Thomas, Quincy, Ind., three bass, 7-10, $2,005
2nd: Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 6-11, $1,002
3rd: Scott Standafer, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 6-9, $668
4th: Chandler Fleetwood, Vallonia, Ind., three bass, 6-7, $468
5th: Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 5-4, $401
6th: Scottie Davis, Martinsville, Ind., two bass, 4-15, $351
6th: Jared Robinson, Vallonia, Ind., two bass, 4-15, $351
8th: Kris Looney, Indianapolis, Ind., one bass, 4-13, $576
9th: Phill Parker, Bedford, Ind., one bass, 4-7, $250
9th: Cory Cook, Carrollton, Ky., two bass, 4-7, $250
Looney caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $275.
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
