Lambert Wins T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Mississippi Division Finale on Pickwick Lake

Alabama’s Ward Grabs Co-angler Title

Jason Lambert Photo by Andy Hagedon. Angler: Jason Lambert.

October 1, 2018 • FLW Communications • Phoenix Bass Fishing League

IUKA, Miss. – Local pro Jason Lambert of Michie, Tennessee, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division tournament on Pickwick Lake Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 32 pounds, 10 ounces. For his efforts, Lambert won $9,086.

“The fish are all over the place. I started and ended shallow both days and caught some deep fish in between,” said Lambert, who earned his third career win on Pickwick Lake in BFL competition. “It’s hard to get a big fish out deep – they’re mostly just limit-fillers.

“Up shallow I threw a (Bone-colored 6th Sense Mad Dog 130) topwater, focusing on hydrilla in 5 to 6 feet of water on the lower end of the lake,” Lambert continued. “I pitched it to the outside edge of the grass line. Some fish were schooling, but most were on that outside edge.”

Around 10 a.m., Lambert headed out deep to fish main-lake ledges that were 25 feet down.

“The only way I could catch them was long-lining a (Lavender Citrus-colored 6th Sense Cloud 9 Series C20) crankbait,” said Lambert. “I think I weighed four fish deep Saturday, and two on Sunday.

“I spent more time shallow Sunday. There was a high school tournament on the lower end Saturday, so that stuff was a lot more pressured,” said Lambert. “I caught my biggest fish yesterday morning – about a 5-pounder – fishing the grass line with a Castaic Jerky J with a ½-ounce head.”

Lambert said he caught eight keepers Saturday, and an additional 10 on Sunday.

“My Garmin electronics were the key for me. You’ve got to able to find them when you’re idling around out there looking for schools,” said Lambert.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Jason Lambert, Michie, Tenn., 10 bass, 32-10, $7,086 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2nd: Roger Stegall, Iuka, Miss., 10 bass, 30-12, $3,293

3rd: Michael Wooley, Booneville, Miss., 10 bass, 29-9, $2,295

4th: Jimmy Washam, Covington, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-15, $1,537

5th: Cal Clark, Pulaski, Tenn., 10 bass, 27-13, $1,317

6th: Lloyd Pickett Jr., Bartlett, Tenn., 10 bass, 27-7, $1,207

7th: Nathan Martin, Sheffield, Ala., eight bass, 26-5, $1,098

8th: Christopher Whitehead, Tupelo, Miss., 10 bass, 25-2, $988

9th: Kyle Glasgow, Guin, Ala., 10 bass, 24-9, $878

10th: Charles Watts, Corinth, Miss., nine bass, 24-1, $768

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Brent Anderson of Kingston Springs, Tennessee, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 6 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $945.

David Ward of Morris, Alabama, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 20 pounds, 1 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,287.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: David Ward, Morris, Ala., eight bass , 20-1, $3,287

2nd: Farley Fondren, Maben, Miss., seven bass, 19-7, $1,844

3rd: Alan Dutton, Meridian, Miss., six bass, 18-7, $1,146

4th: Chris Bowers, Brandon, Miss., six bass, 18-5, $767

5th: Ron Renfrow, Corinth, Miss., six bass, 17-12, $657

6th: Keith Whipple, Iuka, Miss., eight bass, 17-6, $603

7th: Taylor Odom, Flowood, Miss., six bass, 16-15, $548

8th: Alex Kinglsey, Fulton, Miss., six bass, 15-5, $493

9th: Joel Ross, Brandon, Miss., six bass , 13-15, $438

10th: Matthew Berry, Florence, Ala., six bass, 13-12, $384

Michael Graham of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 8 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $465.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 18-20 BFL Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2018 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they 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. The 2019 BFL All-American will take place May 30-June 1 on the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

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 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. 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. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

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