Emerton on top at Dale Hollow
Craynon claims co-angler title
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. – Jeff Emerton of Hillham, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the first Walmart Bass Fishing League Mountain Division tournament of 2014 on Dale Hollow Lake. For his victory, Emerton earned $5,782.
Emerton locked down his second career BFL win on a mild spring day with the help of the tournament Big Bass, a giant 9-pound, 4-ounce largemouth.
“It was a big tournament. 190 boats on Dale Hollow is a phenomenal amount of boats,” said Emerton. “It was beat up all week, but I knew that if I could catch 20 pounds I would have a chance. You never know until you put them on the scale.”
Emerton said that he concentrated his time in the mid-lake area on a channel swing with big stumps and some grass.
“I was fishing really slow,” explained Emerton. “I would step on the trolling motor about every 10 minutes. I was really working a spot where big fish live. They had pulled up shallow. My big fish came out of about 6 feet of water. I caught one around 10-feet deep on a jerkbait but the rest were shallow.”
Emerton said that he caught all but one of his keepers on a Hog Farmer Bait company umbrella rig with blades and 4-inch sexy smelt-colored Big Hammer swimbaits.
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Densmore Goodson, Letcher, Ky., five bass, 20-15, $2,891
3rd: Mitch Lewis, Greensburg, Ky., five bass, 20-14, $1,925
4th: Paul Lewis, Richmond, Ky., five bass, 20-11, $1,349 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
5th: Barry Strunk, Science Hill, Ky., five bass, 20-3, $1,156
6th: Robby Johnson, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 20-2, $1,060
7th: Michael Bean, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 20-0, $964
8th: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 19-7, $867
9th: Raymond Manis, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 19-4, $771
10th: Rusty Smith, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 19-2, $675
Complete results can be found here.
Craynon wins co-angler title
Gary Craynon of Prestonsburg, Ky., weighed-in a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win $2,852 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Mark Major, Lancaster, Ky., five bass, 20-9, $1,426
3rd: Austin Allen, Gainesboro, Tenn., five bass, 18-13, $951
4th: Tyler Sheffield, Dry Ridge, Ky., five bass, 18-7, $665
5th: James Wathen, Lagrange, Ky., five bass, 18-6, $570
6th: Zachary Chappell, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 17-15, $523
7th: Colton Smith, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 17-9, $475
8th: Dennis Cravens, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 17-8, $428
9th: Doug Flynn, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 17-7, $380
10th: Jerry Delk, Allardt, Tenn., five bass, 17-1, $316
10th: Jerry Scott, Celina, Tenn., four bass, 17-1, $316
Complete co-angler results can be found here.
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 9-11 Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee in Morristown, Tenn. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C 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 2014 BFL All-American is being held June 5-7 on Wilson Lake in Florence, Ala. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW 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 2014 over the course of 229 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, Instagram, and YouTube.