O’Donnell Earns Co-angler Win
Local knowledge pays big dividends
Walmart FLW Tour co-angler Casey O’Donnell of Bradenton, Fla., landed four bass weighing 17 pounds, 2 ounces, to win the co-angler title in the Rayovac FLW Series Southeast Division tournament. O’Donnell amassed 62 pounds, 12 ounces over the course of the three-day event presented by Mercury. For his efforts, O’Donnell took home a brand-new Ranger Z117 and an outboard to match.
“Every time I would think “oh no, this isn’t going right,” I would catch a big one,” says O’Donnell. “I guess it was meant to be.”
O’Donnell, who recently moved to Guntersville and is living in a basement and fishing as much as he can, caught his fish on a variety of baits throughout the week. He says most of his weight the final two days came on a ¾-ounce red-colored lipless crankbait.
“I’m getting a better understanding for the way that current-oriented and river fish set up,” says O’Donnell of his time at Guntersville. “The first day I caught all my fish off of spots I fish. Just knowing where the fish are setting up is really the key to catching big bags behind these guys. I’ve been to so many of these places that when I see a spot, I know where the high-percentage areas are.”
Top 10 Co-anglers
1. Casey O’Donnell – 62-12 (14)
2. Josh Klinghagen – 56-13 (13)
3. Alphonso Taylor – 44-8 (12)
4. Justin Sward – 42-11 (11)
5. James Brooks – 39-6 (12)
6. Thomas Rubbo – 37-3 (7)
7. Michel Purvis – 36-7 (12)
8. Wayne Boyd – 36-3 (8)
9. Mike McDaniel – 36-2 (11)
10. Nik Kayler – 35-1 (8)