Johnson, Hopkins Win Music City Double-Header
Old Hickory featured back-to-back tournaments for the Music City Division
It was a double-header for bass anglers this past weekend in Gallatin with the Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine on Old Hickory Lake events.
Boater Daniel Johnson of Lebanon, Tennessee, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces to win Saturday’s event and earn $4,418, while John Hopkins of Hendersonville, Tennessee, brought in a limit weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces on Sunday to earn the win and $3,164.
The tournaments were the second and third of five events in the Music City Division presented by A.R.E. Truck Caps.
“It was pretty much the same old, same old for me,” says Johnson, who earned his fourth career victory in BFL competition. “I live about ¼ mile from the lake, and fish it all the time – primarily shallow. I caught everything that I had flipping soft plastics in 1- to 6-feet-of-water.
“The hot and sunny weather really helped me,” Johnson continues. “It positioned the fish right where they needed to be for flipping.”
Johnson's key bait was a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver, which he estimated he threw 70 percent of the day.
The top five boaters on Saturday:
1st: Daniel Johnson of Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 16-6, $4,418
2nd: Tim Messer of Hendersonville, Tenn., four bass, 16-0, $1,709
3rd: Lance Oligschlaeger of Gallatin, Tenn., five bass, 15-6, $1,138
4th: Dustin Hinkle of Mount Juliet, Tenn., five bass, 14-8, $1,218
5th: Adam Wagner of Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 14-2, $1,184
Complete results for Saturday can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Hinkle brought a 6-pound, 2-ounce bass to the scale to add Saturday’s Boater Big Bass award of $420 to his winnings.
Wagner was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500 Saturday. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine tournament if all requirements are met. More information on the FLW PHOENIX BONUS contingency program can be found at PhoenixBassBoats.com.
Kutil wins Saturday co-angler title
Beaufort, South Carolina’s Jared Kutil won the Co-angler Division and $1,868 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 11 pounds, 10 ounces.
The top five co-anglers Saturday:
1st: Jared Kutil of Beaufort, S.C., five bass, 11-10, $1,868
2nd: Benjamin Fouts of Morehead, Ky., five bass, 11-8, $834
3rd: Ricky England of Sparta, Tenn., five bass, 10-15, $558
4th: Curtis Cline of Lafayette, Tenn., five bass, 10-6, $389
5th: Jimmy Cartwright of Smithville, Tenn., four bass, 9-5, $539
Cartwright caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division Saturday, weighing in at 4 pounds, 1 ounce. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $205.
Hopkins sacks 20 pounds on Sunday
Sunday’s tournament was a completely different story as winner John Hopkins spent his day catching huge numbers of fish out deep on the ledges.
“I caught probably 60 fish throughout the day,” says Hopkins, who picked up his fifth career BFL win. “Old Hickory is fishing better than it ever has.”
Hopkins says that he caught two good fish on a jig, but most of his damage was done with an unnamed crankbait.
The top five boaters on Sunday:
1st: John Hopkins of Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass, 20-11, $3,164
2nd: Mickey Beck of Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 18-2, $1,582
3rd: Dylan Wright of Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 17-14, $1,054
4th: Clabion Johns of Social Circle, Ga., five bass, 16-7, $738
5th: Hunter Bouldin of McMinnville, Tenn., five bass, 16-5, $633
Complete results for Sunday’s event on Old Hickory Lake can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Scott Ellis of Madison, Tennessee, brought a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scale to win Sunday’s Boater Big Bass award of $380.
William Merrick of Mount Juliet, Tennessee, was Sunday’s highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500.
Thompson wins co-angler title
Doug Thompson of Mabelvale, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and $1,582 Sunday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top five co-anglers Sunday:
1st: Doug Thompson of Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 14-15, $1,582
2nd: Ryan Mealer of Spring Hill, Tenn., five bass, 13-12, $981
3rd: Chris Hughes of Centerville, Tenn., five bass, 12-12, $526
4th: Taylor Wisniewski of Lexington, Ky., five bass, 11-5, $369
5th: Benjamin Fouts of Morehead, Ky., five bass, 10-15, $316
Mealer caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 5 pounds even. The catch earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $190.
The 2020 Phoenix Bass Fishing League presented by T-H Marine Double-Header on Old Hickory Lake was hosted by Sumner County Tourism.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the Music City Division presented by A.R.E. based on point standings, along with the five winners of each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 22-24 Bass Fishing League Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia, hosted by the Gainesville Convention and Visitors Bureau. Boaters will compete for a $60,000 prize package, including a new Phoenix 819 Pro bass boat with a 200-horsepower Mercury outboard and $10,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new 18-foot Phoenix bass boat with a 200-horsepower outboard.