Morrison Finds Mixed Bag on Cumberland
Rudd wins co-angler title
Michael Morrison of Georgetown, Kentucky, brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 17 pounds, 3 ounces, to take top honors at the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division tournament on Lake Cumberland. For his efforts, Morrison netted $4,917.
Morrison says he spent his day fishing approximately 15 different pockets mid-lake down toward the Wolf Creek Dam, about an hour from takeoff.
“The largemouth and smallmouth were still spawning,” says Morrison, who notched his first win in FLW competition. “I used a glide bait as a locator bait. Only some of them would get it, so I added a stinger hook on an inch and a half of braided line. It’s just an extra treble hook that hangs down farther in the water column to help get the fish that missed the lure’s original two hooks.
“I did the modification in practice on Friday and it helped my hookup ratio,” continues Morrison. “On Friday, out of 25 bites, I only caught 10 fish. They were only guarding the nest, they weren’t eating. But on Saturday, I was able to catch 12 keepers from 15 or 20 bites – nine smallmouth and three largemouth.”
Morrison opted for a 6¼-inch, Threadfin Shad-colored XPS Bass Pro Shops Boss Glide Swimbait.
“I also added a feather on the back hook to get them to target the hooks more rather than the bait,” says Morrison. “For fish that missed it, I followed up with a Texas-rigged, Get the Net-colored Cabin Creek Bait Company] Express Bug.”
Morrison says he ended up weighing four smallmouth and one largemouth – three from the glide bait and two from the Express Bug.
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Michael Morrison, Georgetown, Ky., five bass, 17-3, $4,917
2nd: Ryan Davidson, Branchland, W. Va., five bass, 15-14, $2,158
3rd: Nick Ratliff, Vine Grove, Ky., five bass, 15-12, $1,407
4th: Matt Stanley, Alexandria, Tenn., five bass, 14-14, $1,164
5th: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 14-11, $783
6th: Thomas Coomer, Florence, Ky., five bass, 14-7, $718
7th: Ryan Coleman, Utica, Ky., five bass, 14-3, $653
8th: Colton Chambers, Elizabethton, Tenn., five bass, 14-1, $588
9th: Kris Kordenbrock, Covington, Ky., five bass, 13-15, $522
10th: Corey Clifton, Dry Ridge, Ky., five bass, 13-11, $457
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Logan Cherry of Alavaton, Kentucky, caught a 4-pound, 6-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $520.
Rudd wins co-angler title
Jared Rudd of Salyersville, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $2,035 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 13 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Jared Rudd, Salyersville, Ky., five bass, 13-12, $2,035
2nd: Cole Sowards, Salt Rock, W. Va., five bass, 12-0, $918
3rd: Wayne Crouch, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 11-3, $612
4th: Brenton Clemons, Somerset, Ky., four bass, 10-13, $478
5th: Jeremiah Williams, Livingston, Tenn., five bass, 10-11, $367
6th: Kevin Bishop, Ashland, Ky., five bass, 9-14, $486
7th: Taylor Wisniewski, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 9-13, $306
8th: Dakota Bell, Monticello, Ky., five bass, 9-11, $275
9th: Jamie Karnes, Cave City, Ky., five bass, 8-13, $217
9th: James McPherson, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 8-13, $217
9th: Lucas Devere, Berea, Ky., five bass, 8-13, $217
Jonathan Sydnor of Canmer, Kentucky, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 4 pounds, 11 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $235.
The tournament was hosted by the Somerset Tourist & Convention Commission.
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. 17-19 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Alabama, presented by Mercury. 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.