Plan B Pays For Montgomery

Ford nets co-angler title on Lake Eufaula

Local angler Scott Montgomery of Eufaula, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bama Division tournament on Lake Eufaula presented by Power-Pole. For his victory, Montgomery took home $4,279.

Montgomery began his day targeting spawning shad along a 100-yard stretch of mid-lake rocks.

“I used a Gizzard Shad-colored Strike King KVD HC 2.5 Square Bill Silent Crankbait, but the bite was really slow,” says Montgomery, who earned his second career win in FLW competition. “I decided to go with my backup plan and ran to the south end of the lake. I hit around 30 different points and rocky areas and it ended up being my main deal.

“I used the Strike King and boated nearly 10 keepers throughout the day from the clearest water possible,” Montgomery continues. “There were certain areas you could actually see the mudline outside of the pockets.”

Around 1:30 p.m., Montgomery brought in a 6-pounder out of some rocks using a chartreuse-colored Big Bite Baits Suicide Shad Swimbait.

“The swimbait is brand new and has great action to it,” says Montgomery. “The 6-pounder was a great addition to the livewell. I didn’t catch a lot of fish, but the ones I did were decent. Luckily, I went with my backup plan.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Scott Montgomery, Eufaula, Ala., five bass, 20-9, $4,279

2^nd:         Scott Armstrong, Headland, Ala., five bass, 19-15, $2,140

3^rd:          Bobby Padgett, LaGrange, Ga., five bass, 19-8, $1,726

4^th:          Chad Newbolt, Opelika, Ala., five bass, 18-7, $998

5^th:          David Gaston, Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 18-0, $856

6^th:          Barry Hooper, Monticello, Ga., four bass, 17-13, $1,390

7^th:          Michael Smith, Andalusia, Ala., four bass, 17-11, $713

8^th:          Alan Brightwell, Moultrie, Ga., five bass, 16-7, $642

9^th:          David Lowery, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 16-3, $571

10^th:        Sean Buntin, Satsuma, Ala., five bass, 16-1, $499

Complete results can be found here. 

Hooper caught a 7-pound, 14-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $605.

Ford wins co-angler title

Jeffrey Ford of Trion, Georgia, weighed in five bass totaling 14 pounds, 6 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,140.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Jeffrey Ford, Trion, Ga., five bass, 14-6, $2,140

2^nd:         Emory Walden, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 13-14, $1,070

3^rd:          Ben Waldrop, Hiram, Ga., five bass, 13-10, $712

4^th:          Rodney Graham, Childersburg, Ala., five bass, 11-12, $499

5^th:          Lee Gissendaner, Eufaula, Ala., four bass, 10-10, $428

6^th:          Luke Williamson, McCalla, Ala., five bass, 10-3, $392

7^th:          Steve Watson, Panama City, Fla., four bass, 10-0, $357

8^th:          Bailey Boutries, Daphne, Ala., three bass, 9-12, $321

9^th:          Ryan Muccio, Columbia, Ala., three bass, 9-10, $285

10^th:        Todd Radney, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 9-8, $250

Christopher Fowler of Andalusia, Alabama, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 15 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $302.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 27-29 Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. 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.