Donnie Cobb of Russellville, Arkansas, caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division opener on Lake Ouachita presented by GEARED. For his win, Cobb took home $4,266.

According to post-tournament reports, Cobb caught his fish upriver on shallow points using a spinnerbait.

The top 10 boaters:

1st: Donnie Cobb, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 18-7, $4,266

2nd: Josh Ray, Alexander, Ark., five bass, 15-4, $2,083

3rd: Wayne Dixon, Morrilton, Ark., five bass, 15-3, $1,256

4th: Scott Hardin, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 15-1, $979

5th: Mike Rhinehart, Pottsville, Ark., five bass, 14-3, $753

6th: Randall Clark, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 14-0, $690

7th: Dennis Bean, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-12, $628

8th: Lance Crawford, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 13-10, $565

9th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-5, $502

10th: Todd Thomas, Fouke, Ark., five bass, 13-4, $439

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Cobb also caught a 7-pound, 8-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $500.

Hillard wins co-angler title

Almonzo Hillard of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and $1,859 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1st: Almonzo Hillard, Arkadelphia, Ark., five bass, 12-4, $1,859

2nd: Ryan Spicer, Sheridan, Ark., two bass, 10-8, $1,171

3rd: David Hardin, Bethel, Okla., two bass, 10-1, $619

4th: Robert Janes, Springdale, Ark., four bass, 9-10, $534

5th: Demetric Johnson, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 9-9, $372

6th: Kristopher Klecz, Saint Charles, Ill., four bass, 9-0, $341

7th: Alex Allen, Bryant, Ark., three bass, 8-10, $310

8th: Matt Tucker, Pottsville, Ark., three bass, 8-8, $329

9th: Kyle Hess, Wynne, Ark., three bass, 8-6, $248

10th: Steve McDonald, Greenwood, Ark., three bass, 7-11, $217

Spicer caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $242.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 24-26 BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.