Holloway takes close win on Lake Oconee - Major League Fishing

Holloway takes close win on Lake Oconee

Murphy crushes co-angler field
Image for Holloway takes close win on Lake Oconee
Mark Holloway of Madison, Ga., won the June 15 Bulldog Division event on Lake Oconee with a limit weighing 16 pounds, 6 ounces. He took home a check for nearly $4,000 for his victory.
June 15, 2013 • MLF • Archives

BUCKHEAD, Ga. – Mark Holloway of Madison, Ga., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division event on Lake Oconee. For his victory, Holloway earned $3,917.

“It was an uneventful day until the end,” said Holloway. “I just kept throwing my topwater Bass Hound prop bait to bream beds all day long. I knew that if I tried anything else I would have gotten more bites, but I was fishing for the big bite, so I kept targeting bream beds in the backs of spawning pockets.

“The Bass Hound prop bait imitates the bream better than anything else I have used. I really believe that it was my presentation and bait that gave me the win.

“My biggest fish was about 5 pounds, and then I just had good solid fish to fill out my limit. I caught fish all day long, but had what I brought to the scale by about 9 a.m. The bite was definitely more aggressive first thing in the morning.”

According to Holloway, he was targeting the backs of spawning pockets in about 2 feet of water or less.

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2nd: Pat Fisher, Colbert, Ga., five bass, 16-04, $1,958

3rd: Lamontie Waters, Warner Robins, Ga., five bass, 15-5, $1,307

4th: Scott Hayes, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 15-3, $914

5th: Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 14-9, $783

6th: David Lowery, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 14-0, $718

7th: Justin Lanier, Macon, Ga., four bass, 14-05, $653

8th: Kip Carter, Loganville, Ga., five bass, 14-4, $588

9th: Matt Henry, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 13-14, $522

10th: Jack Morris, Watkinsville, Ga. five bass, 13-13, $457

Complete results can be found here.

Murphy claims co-angler title

Co-angler James Murphy of Phenix City, Ala., won the June 15 Bulldog Division event on Lake Oconee with a 17-pound, 7-ounce limit. For his efforts, Murphy won nearly $2,000 in prize money. James Murphy of Phenix City, Ala., weighed five bass totaling 17 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win the co-angler division. Murphy earned $1,958 for his victory.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: Garrett Stevens, McDonough, Ga., three bass, 11-1, $979

3rd: Joe Anders, Easley, S.C., four bass, 10-0, $555

3rd: Keith Howard, Perry, Ga., five bass, 10-0, $555

5th: Jason Jenkins, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 8-11, $392

6th: Bruce Bennett, Poulan, Ga., four bass, 8-10, $359

7th: Jeff Grubbs, Newnan, Ga., four bass, 8-9, $326

8th: David Bush, Eastman, Ga., four bass, 8-07, $294

9th: Kyle Parks, Albany, Ga., two bass, 8-04, $261

10th: John Hammock, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 8-3, $228

Complete co-angler results can be found here.

The next BFL Bulldog Division tournament is scheduled for Sept. 14-15 on West Point Lake in Lanett, Ala. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Lavonia, Ga. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27-29 on the Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

About FLW

FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2013 over the course of 220 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.