Swimbait, Crankbait Carry Pitt to Top

McDonough nets co-angler title on Toledo Bend

Local angler Cody Pitt of Many, Louisiana, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 24 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the first FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Cowboy Division tournament of 2016 on Toledo Bend. For his victory, Pitt earned $4,872.

“I focused on two areas in Tennessee Bay about a mile south of the takeoff ramp,” says Pitt, who earned the win fishing in the first FLW tournament of his career. “Half of the bass I dialed in on were in the backs of ditches and on the sides of humps near flats, and the other half were still out deep in their winter patterns.

“All of the keepers I caught were from big schools – sometimes with 50 or more fish in them,” Pitt continues. “They were feeding heavily on shad so I knew that was a pattern I needed to follow.”

The Louisiana pro says he used two baits to catch his winning stringer – a white Fish Head Spin rigged with a Sight Flash-colored Keitech Swimbait and a sexy shad-colored Strike King 10XD crankbait.

“Three of the fish that I weighed in came on the Fish Head Spin while the other two preferred the crankbait,” says Pitt. “I fished each one fairly slow along the bottom, occasionally bouncing the 10XD.”

Pitt ended up catching nearly 25 keepers throughout his day.

“Everything I brought in was found with the help of my Lowrance electronics,” says Pitt. “I couldn’t have won this tournament without them.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Cody Pitt, Many, La., five bass, 24-5, $4,872

2^nd:         Dusty Anders, Pineville, La., five bass, 24-0, $2,436

3^rd:          Darold Gleason, Leesville, La., five bass, 23-2, $2,358

4^th:          Dylan Poche, Natchez, La., five bass, 22-8, $1,137

5^th:          Nick Lebrun, Bossier City, La., five bass, 21-8, $974

6^th:          Wade Hudgens, Longview, Texas, five bass, 21-4, $893

7^th:          Keith Hawkins, Missouri City, Texas, five bass, 20-15, $812

8^th:          Lane McGaha, Dubach, La., five bass, 20-4, $731

9^th:          Jason Bonds, Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 19-2, $609 + $300 Evinrude bonus

9^th:          Anthony  Sharp, Silsbee, Texas, five bass, 19-2, $609              

Complete results can be found here.

Gleason caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a largemouth weighing 9 pounds, 7 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $735.

McDonough wins co-angler title

Bryan McDonough of Katy, Texas, weighed in five bass totaling 16 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to earn $2,398 and win the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Bryan McDonough, Katy, Texas, five bass, 16-13, $2,398

2^nd:         Derek Allen, Ponchatoula, La., five bass, 15-6, $1,199

3^rd:          Randall Bellard, Denham Springs, La., five bass, 15-4, $795

4^th:          Cody Canerday, Welsh, La., five bass, 14-10, $560

5^th:          Chaz York, Vidor, Texas, five bass, 14-9, $480

6^th:          Nick Whittemore, Austin, Texas, five bass, 14-2, $440

7^th:          Jerry Riddle, Summit, Miss., five bass, 13-11, $400

8^th:          Larry Becker, Waskom, Texas, three bass, 13-10, $360

9^th:          Kerry Barnett, Waldron, Ark., five bass, 13-4, $320

10^th:        Marcus Newton, Angleton, Texas, three bass, 12-14, $280

Logan Buss of Dallas, Texas, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $357.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 27-29 Regional Championship on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Arkansas. 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.