Smith Wins on Kentucky Lake

Jones lands co-angler title

Ron Smith of Walton, Kentucky, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the third FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division tournament of 2016 on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. For his victory, Smith took home $5,394.

“It feels great to get the win, but I was definitely very lucky,” says Smith, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I thought I was going to catch one 4- or 5-pounder in my area, but I ended up catching four.”

Smith said that he caught 12 keepers throughout the day on just one bait – a shaky head rigged with a green-pumpkin Z-Man Finesse Wormz.

“I was fishing transitions and channel creek swings on Kentucky Lake, catching fish in 7 to 9 feet of water,” Smith says. “I only fished in two different areas all day long.

“I’d finished in every place from second to last,” Smith went on to say. “I’m shocked that I won by the margin that I did, but it feels great to finally get a win.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:           Ron Smith, Walton, Ky., five bass, 22-4, $5,394

2^nd:          Cole Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 17-13, $2,197

3^rd:          Bobby McMullin, Pevely, Mo., five bass, 17-11, $1,464

4^th:           Roger Smith, Auburn, Ind., five bass, 17-6, $1,025

5^th:           Kelly Noonan, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 16-3, $879

6^th:           Craig Hipsher, Benton, Ky., five bass, 15-11, $805

7^th:           Scott McGlinchey, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 15-9, $695

7^th:           Roger Hensley, Jonesboro, Ind., five bass, 15-9, $695

9^th:           Mike Saleeba, Manitou, Ky., five bass, 15-6, $586

10^th:        Bob Drake, Noblesville, Ind., five bass, 15-0, $513

Complete results can be found here.  

Daniel Maiden of McHenry, Kentucky, caught a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the boater division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $630.

Jones wins co-angler title

Jeremy Jones of Gallatin, Tennessee, weighed in five bass totaling 17 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to earn $2,197 and win the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:           Jeremy Jones, Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 17-2, $2,197

2^nd:          John Wilkerson, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 15-13, $1,413

3^rd:          Reid Kesel, Bonnots Mill, Mo., four bass, 15-0, $733

4^th:           Donald Oksanen, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 14-11, $513

5^th:           Dean Dearwester, Cincinnati, Ohio, five bass, 14-3, $439

6^th:           Joe Long, Moscow, Tenn., five bass, 13-4, $403

7^th:           Gabe Montgomery, Jackson, Mo., five bass, 13-3, $366

8^th:           Calvin Fitch, Kokomo, Ind., five bass, 12-14, $330

9^th:           Joe James, Jackson, Mo., five bass, 12-9, $293

10^th:        Benton Peoples, Bardstown, Ky., five bass, 12-3, $243

Wilkerson caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $315.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Sept. 29-Oct. 1 Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. 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.