Horton Wins Co-angler Title on Kentucky Lake
Local earns first victory on Tour
Mark Horton never thought it would happen.
He was wrong.
After two days of fishing, Horton took home the co-angler title in the Walmart FLW Tour presented by Mercury and hosted by the Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau on Kentucky Lake. The Nicholasville, Ky., native amassed 33 pounds, 8 ounces over two days to bring home the victory. Horton earned $25,350 for his first win.
Fishing with Jacob Wheeler on day one, Horton plied the ledges with a jigging spoon, Profound Outdoors Z-Boss crankbait and a jig. Despite catching fish throughout the day, he still found himself one fish shy of a limit when Wheeler made an act of sportsmanship.
“My hat is off to Jacob Wheeler,” he said. “He took me to a community hole and turned the boat around backwards so I could catch my fifth keeper.”
Horton made the most of the opportunity, catching a 7-pound, 11-ounce kicker to boost his total to 21 pounds, 5 ounces. His weight was a co-angler single-day best for the tournament and gave him a 4-ounce lead heading into the final day of competition.
Horton drew Jason Meninger on day two, who was also fishing offshore. However, the power-fishing lures of the previous day fell flat, forcing him to switch to finesse tactics. The switch worked, as he quickly filled his limit using a wacky-rigged Zoom Magnum Trick Worm with a nail weight. He then relied on a drop shot and other finesse baits to upgrade a few times.
His limit of 12 pounds, 3 ounces wasn’t near as impressive, but still was enough to give Horton the victory by more than a pound.
“It feels really good,” he said. “I’ve been chasing this for a long time. I’ve gotten second and fifth. I didn’t think I had it in me. I figured I was just not cut out to win one. It feels good.”