Hunter Wins on Lay Lake

Pace earns co-angler title

COLUMBIANA, Ala. – Bo Hunter of Gardendale, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Bama Division tournament of 2015 on Lay Lake. For his victory, Hunter earned $4,127.

Hunter said he focused on mid- and upper-river areas on the Coosa River where the current created seams and edges.

“I preferred to stop at isolated wood patches where the water separated,” said Hunter. “The bass seemed to be attracted to the sudden change of direction.

“My first fish came on a Lucky Craft Gunfish topwater bait,” Hunter continued. “When the bait went down about 7 feet there was a lot of activity.”

After catching two keepers, Hunter said he spent his afternoon targeting 14 different areas with a coonasty-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver.

“I caught my two largest fish on the Sweet Beaver,” said Hunter. “Luckily I had enough weight to edge the competition.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Bo Hunter, Gardendale, Ala., five bass, 15-13, $4,127

2^nd:         David Lowery, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 14-15, $1,720

2^nd:         Kyle Mabrey, McCalla, Ala., five bass, 14-15, $1,720

4^th:          Gary Givens, Mobile, Ala., five bass, 14-9, $894

4^th:          Jake Turnbloom, Calera, Ala., five bass, 14-9, $894

6^th:          Will Davis, Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 14-6, $757

7^th:          Barry Isbell, Trussville, Ala., five bass, 14-1, $688

8^th:          Alexander Wilson Sr., Elmore, Ala., five bass, 14-0, $619

9^th:          Tony Couch, Buckhead, Ga., five bass, 13-15, $550

10^th:        Nicholas Harris, Alabaster, Ala., five bass, 13-10, $482              

Complete results can be found here.  

Jimmy Millsaps of White, Georgia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $575.

Pace wins co-angler division

Shane Pace of Cantonment, Florida, weighed in five bass totaling 13 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win $2,064 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Shane Pace, Cantonment, Fla., five bass, 13-2, $2,064

2^nd:         Danny Smith, Tyrone, Ga., five bass, 12-14, $1,032

3^rd:          Dennis McGouirk, Carrollton, Ga., five bass, 11-15, $688

4^th:          Howard Avery, Newnan, Ga., four bass, 10-5, $482

5^th:          Mark Denney, Bonaire, Ga., five bass, 9-14, $413

6^th:          Jeff Ferrell, Oxford, Ga., five bass, 9-11, $378

7^th:          Robert Hays, Elmore, Ala., four bass, 9-8, $344

8^th:          Keith Lynch, River Falls, Ala., five bass, 9-3, $292

8^th:          Gary Marlowe, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 9-3, $292

10^th:        Chris Hawkins, Adger, Ala., three bass, 8-12, $241

Michael Roush of Mobile, Alabama, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $287.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Georgia. 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.