Metzger Dominates with a Swimbait
Mattingly lands co-angler title on Kentucky Lake
Kyle Metzger of Paducah, Kentucky, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 7 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League LBL Division Super Tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds even. For his victory, Metzger earned $5,704.
“On Saturday I ran 50 miles south to some grass near Paris where I had found some fish,” said Metzger of his second career win in FLW competition. “I used a bone-colored Picasso Shad Walker and was able to put a small limit in the boat by 10 a.m.
“Around 10 I moved to my second area, which was a flat outside of a bay just south of Paris,” continued Metzger. “It had a shell bed on one end and a ledge that stretched from 8 to 14 feet down the other. I moved up onto the shell bed and caught a 5-pounder using a swimbait on the first cast. Within 20 minutes I caught 23 pounds.
“On day two I headed to the flat again. I threw the same swimbait, but the fish were hitting it a little bit different. The water was clear, so I switched to 15-pound test P-Line FloroClear and used a 7-foot Denali heavy action rod and had to jerk the bait more quickly.”
Metzger said that he then switched to a hairjig rigged with a Zoom Super Fluke to catch his last keeper and finish out his tournament.
“The fish bit it on the fall and I was able to grab my fifth keeper towards the end of the day,” said Metzger. “I had a great weekend on the water.”
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Kyle Metzger, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 44-0, $5,704
2nd: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., nine bass, 34-5, $2,852
3rd: Ray Barga, Benton, Ky., nine bass, 31-11, $1,904
4th: Matt Robertson, Central City, Ky., 10 bass, 30-3, $1,331
5th: John Hopkins, Hendersonville, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-15, $1,141
6th: Sam Boss, Paducah, Ky., nine bass, 29-3, $1,046
7th: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-0, $951
8th: Rob Vannerson, Benton, Ky., 10 bass, 26-15, $856
9th: Jackson Ryley, Clinton, Ind., eight bass, 26-7, $761
10th: Edward Gettys, Buchanan, Tenn., 10 bass, 25-11, $665
Complete results can be found here.
Curtis Persinger of New Albany, Indiana, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Friday. The fish weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $757.
Mattingly wins co-angler division
Derrick Mattingly of Uniontown, Kentucky, won the co-angler division and $2,852 with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 1 ounce.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Derrick Mattingly, Uniontown, Ky., 10 bass, 27-1, $2,852
2nd: James Wathen, La Grange, Ky., seven bass, 26-5, $1,426
3rd: Chuck Rounds, Benton, Ky., four bass, 22-4, $950
4th: Mike Westfall, Norris City, Ill., seven bass, 16-1, $666
5th: Jeff Johnston, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 14-12, $570
6th: Stanley Head, Lexington, Ky., six bass, 14-7, $523
7th: James Lee, Ledbetter, Ky., six bass, 12-6, $475
8th: Dennis Taylor, Fulton, Ky., five bass, 11-15, $428
9th: Jerry Sterling, Jackson, Mo., three bass, 9-12, $380
10th: Jake Steinkuhl, Evansville, Ind., three bass, 9-10, $333
Rounds caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $379.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings now 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.