Major made key decision on Dale Hollow
Morris nets co-angler title
BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. – Mitchell Major of Lancaster, Ky., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Mountain Division tournament of 2014 on Dale Hollow Lake. For his victory, Major earned $5,380.
Major earned the first BFL win of his career by putting down the umbrella rig and throwing a jig for prespawn Dale Hollow bass.
“It was an awesome, awesome weekend,” said Major. “It just worked out. I’ve had my chance to win before but it seems like I’ve lost fish or broken off fish. This weekend it was just meant to be.
“I caught `em on a jig and a spinnerbait,” Major continued. “Every fish that I weighed in came on the jig. I was catching them on lay-down logs in pockets off of Wolf River.
“The key was making the right change,” explained Major. “I started out throwing an umbrella rig, because I didn’t want to get beat on it again. But I came to a lay-down and picked up a jig and caught a 4-pounder. Then I moved a little way down the bank and did it again. So I just started throwing the jig and a spinnerbait for the rest of the time.”
Major said all the fish he weighed in came on a 3/8-ounce D&L Tackle jig in the Cumberland Craw color.
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: James King, Monroe, Tenn., five bass, 19-13, $2,690
3rd: Matt Salmons, Bronston, Ky., five bass, 18-8, $1,794
4th: Jason Chasteen, Richmond, Ky., five bass, 18-5, $1,255
5th: Tyler Gregory, Pine Knot, Ky., five bass, 17-14, $1,031
5th: Barrett Moss, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 17-14, $1,031
7th: Joe Slagle, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 17-10, $897
8th: Mark Mauldin, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 17-6, $807
9th: Jeff Coots, Yeaddiss, Ky., five bass, 17-4, $717
10th: Jack Poindexter, Livingston, Tenn., five bass, 17-3, $596
10th: HC Sumpter, Nancy, Ky., five bass, 17-3, $596
Complete results can be found here.
Morris wins co-angler title
Michael Morris of McKee, Ky., weighed-in a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win $2,636 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Brian Copeland, Rickman, Tenn., five bass, 16-8, $1,318
3rd: Cody Loveless, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 15-8, $879
4th: Seth Graves, Tompkinsville, Ky., five bass, 14-8, $615
5th: Adam Frye, Burnside, Ky., five bass, 13-9, $527
6th: Jason Stigall, Tateville, Ky., five bass, 13-6, $483
7th: Phillip Brannum, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 13-5, $439
8th: Wendell Madewell, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 13-2, $395
9th: Dustin House, London, Ky., five bass, 13-1, $352
10th: Joe Wasson, Campbellsville, Ky., five bass, 12-9, $292
10th: Tim Kempf, Louisville, Ky., four bass, 12-9, $292
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.