BAINBRIDGE, Ga. – Matt Baty of Attapulgus, Georgia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Seminole. For his victory, Baty earned $4,718.
“It was a great day of fishing,” said Baty. “All my spots were firing like I hoped they would.”
Baty said he started his day off fishing hydrilla-covered shallow humps using a nasty shad-colored Spro Fat John 60 crankbait.
“I targeted spots near where the Chattahoochee River and Flint River dump into the main lake, specifically where the humps were 5 to 7-feet deep,” Baty said.
Around noon, Baty said he switched to fishing deep ledges in 20 to 25 feet of water using a nasty shad-colored Spro Little John crankbait. Within the hour, he caught two 5-pounders.
“I caught nine keepers throughout the day but those two big ones put me over the top,” Baty said. “Hopefully I can keep this momentum going into my next BFL tournament.”
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Matt Baty, Attapulgus, Ga., five bass, 22-15, $3,718 + $1,000 Mercury Bonus
2nd: Terry Stevens, Marianna, Fla., five bass, 21-0, $1,859
3rd: Stephen McLemore, Lynn Haven, Fla., five bass, 20-12, $1,238
4th: Steve Stanfill, Dawsonville, Ga., five bass, 20-7, $867
5th: Karey Dickerson, Dahlonega, Ga., five bass, 20-2, $744
6th: David Nichol, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 19-5, $682
7th: Lee Nunnally, Monroe, Ga., five bass, 17-0, $620
8th: Brad Hambric, Leesburg, Ga., five bass, 16-10, $558
9th: James Bernard, Madison, Fla., five bass, 16-6, $496
10th: Bryan Thurman, Bonifay, Fla., five bass, 15-15, $434
Complete results can be found here.
Bryan Hinkle of Cumming, Georgia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $485.
Jeter wins co-angler title
Greg Jeter of Bainbridge, Georgia, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds even Saturday to win $1,859 in the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Greg Jeter, Bainbridge, Ga ., five bass, 20-0, $1,859
2nd: Wayne Christopher, Huntsville, Ala., four bass, 15-13, $929
3rd: Steve Hall, Mableton, Ga., five bass , 14-11, $619
4th: Brandon Padilla, Atlanta, Ga., five bass, 14-10, $434
5th: Max Gresham, Adel, Ga., five bass, 14-1, $372
6th: Tony Syfrett, Chipley, Fla., five bass, 13-15, $341
7th: Daniel Buswell Jr., Fayetteville, Ga., four bass, 10-14, $294
7th: Jeff Stone, Jackson, Ga., four bass, 10-14, $294
9th: Darryl Johnson, Flowery Branch, Ga., five bass, 10-4, $248
10th: Jimmie Bailey, Valdosta, Ga., two bass, 10-0, $217
Christopher caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $242.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 22-24 Regional Championship on Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Alabama. 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.