BJ’s heyday

Nelson scores Stren Central co-angler victory on Kentucky/Barkley

BENTON, Ky. – B.J. Nelson entered the final day of the Stren Series Central Division event on Kentucky and Barkley lakes with a lead so big that it ultimately only took him two bass to seal the deal. His tough day four still gave him enough for a combined weight of 45 pounds, 8 ounces, which handed him the victory by 7 ounces.

Nelson, who led days two and three, held a whopping 7-pound, 5-ounce lead heading into today’s competition but still worried a bit when today resulted in only a pair of bass worth 7 pounds, 3 ounces.

“All week I’d been flipping brush pretty shallow, and today I had to make long casts with a jig,” Nelson said. “I had to adjust to that.”

Nelson’s go-to bait today was a Carolina-rigged Paca Craw, and he also found luck this week with a Lunker Lure Ultimate Rattling Jig in green pumpkin. He fished Kentucky Lake all four days.

“I didn’t think I had enough,” he said. “I lost a fish yesterday, and I lost a fish today. I thought, `That’s it.'”

It wasn’t. Fate made him sweat, though, as the last of his two bass came within the last couple of hours.

“A big thank-you goes to my dad,” Nelson said. “He took me fishing when I was 5 years old, and he’s taught me everything. I’m glad he’s here today.”

This is Nelson’s first tournament victory with FLW Outdoors, and he earned $5,000 plus a Ranger boat for the win.

Greenwood threatens from second

With a 14-pound, 1-ounce day-four stringer, Mitch Greenwood of Russellville, Ky., came close but ultimately fell 8 ounces shy of the win today with a four-day catch of 45 pounds, 1 ounce. This is Greenwood’s third top-10 finish in Stren events on Kentucky/Barkley.

“I kinda messed this deal up last year,” he said of the 2007 event where he finished ninth. “This morning by 7:30 or 8 o’clock I had one, and I was thinking, `Third time’s a charm!'”

The day went a bit slower from there, as Greenwood caught his last two keepers in the last hour. He reported catching most of his bass on a green-pumpkin lizard and a green-pumpkin finesse worm.

“It doesn’t matter what color it is as long as it’s green pumpkin,” he said. “The key was rock – had to be around rock to do any good. I was lucky to have four good boaters that put me in a position where I could catch them.”

Third-place Rogers catches heaviest co-angler bag

With the day’s heaviest stringer from the back of the boat, a 16-pound, 4-ounce limit, Joey Rogers brought his four-day weight to 43 pounds, 8 ounces and earned a third-place finish and $3,207.

Rogers benefited from the generosity of his day-four pro partner, Mark Rose, who lent him a rod after a backlash knotted up his line. Rose also let him borrow a big jig which brought in the bass for Rogers.

“I fished a jig all week long, and I thought I should go with what got me here,” Rogers said. “I wanted to go for broke today with a big-bite jig. I broke two off, and that was all I had. Mark came through, and I said, `I need something big.'”

Rogers’ go-to bait all week was a 5/8-oz JymSu jig in peanut butter and jelly. He was fishing shallow gravel bars with the jig and a craw trailer.

“The wind was blowing on these gravel bars, and the fish were coming out of deeper water,” he said. “Today I just slowed down my presentation, and that’s how I caught them the first day.”

This is Rogers’ first top-10 finish.

Rhoades, Williams round out top five

In fourth place is Tim Rhoades of Leitchfield, Ky., with a four-day catch of 36 pounds, including a three-bass catch today worth 8-10.

“I had a great week and learned a whole lot,” Rhoades said. “I know there’s a heaven, and I hope there’s a Kentucky/Barkley in it.”

Behind him in fifth is Clint Williams of Fayetteville, Ark., with 33 pounds, 4 ounces over four days.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers on Kentucky/Barkley:

6th: Tim Cummings, Waynesboro, Tenn., 11 bass, 31-12, $1,875

7th: Lawrence Bean, Union, Mo., 12 bass, 30-6, $1,776

8th: Lonnie Seawood, Hamtramck, Mich., 11 bass, 30-1, $1,678

9th: Arnold Payne Jr., Cuba, Mo., 12 bass, 29-3, $1,579

10th: Justin Russell, El Dorado, Kan., nine bass, 26-7, $1,480

Coming up

The next event on the Stren Series Central Division schedule is a contest on the Mississippi River near Fort Madison, Iowa, July 23-26.