MUSKOGEE, Okla. – As is so often the case on river fisheries, the Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats Southwestern Division event on the Arkansas River came down to local knowledge in the end. Catching the second-biggest bag of the event, Rodney Copeland moved up from fifth to first to earn $25,465 and his first MLF win.
Weighing 16 pounds on the final day, Copeland totaled up 40 pounds, 13 ounces to earn the trophy. In second, Devin Freeman weighed 39-1, and Chris Jones tallied 37-7 for third and also took home 7 Brew Angler of the Year for the division. Levi Thibodaux had the lead going into the final day, but only weighed three fish on Day 3 and dropped down to fourth.
Copeland closes strong
Retired from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Copeland took the opportunity to make a foray into the Toyota Series, and once he got in his wheelhouse, it paid off handsomely.
“I’m super excited, it was a bucket list to just fish these Toyotas and try to be competitive,” Copeland said. “At the end of the day, to have a fifth place at Grand and turn around and win here, I couldn’t have wrote the script any better.”
With the Toyota Series event coming to his home river, Copeland blocked off time to go all-in on it. Leaving out in fifth place, less than 3 pounds off the lead, he at least had a chance on the final day.
“I’ll be honest, when I left this morning, I told myself if I could catch 15 1/2 pounds I would have a chance,” he said. “I hadn’t done that, so, it was setting the bar high, but I knew in my mind I had a chance. On the way back, I didn’t know how much I had. I knew I was around it, but when they hit the scales was the first time I knew.”
Copeland fished in his wheelhouse every day, locking down to Kerr and throwing a BOOYAH Poppin’ Pad Crasher, a BOOYAH Pad Crasher and a BOOYAH Mobster Swim Jig. He used a 5/16-ounce jig, and went with shad colors in cleaner water or sunnier conditions, and black and blue in dirtier water or darker conditions.
“I thought it could be won from any pool, and all three pools were competitive this week,” Copeland said. “But my home court advantage was to go to Kerr. I practiced the Muskogee Pool as well, but when I pulled out on Day 1, I knew I had to go to Kerr to catch ‘em. Day 1, I was a little bit discouraged, but after looking at everyone else’s weights, I knew I wasn’t out of it and decided to make the run again.”
Copeland had to make adjustments every day, as the current was rolling, and overnight storms after Day 1 further impacted the conditions.
“I had about five places I rotated, and it was all grass and pads,” he said. “Some areas were a little dirtier, some were a little cleaner. The conditions changed every day – not just water clarity, but the overall environment.”
The ability to adapt with those conditions set him apart, and he was one of three very local anglers to make the Top 5 by the end of the event.
“I knew when we left this morning, the guys who fish this river the most would have a big advantage,” he said. “We knew what would clean up, what was going to get dirty, and that’s what we did all week.”
In the end, with a big final day, that recipe was exactly what it took to win on the river.
Top 10 pros
1. Rodney Copeland – 40 – 13 (15) – $25,465
2. Devin Freeman – 39 – 1 (15) – $9,868
3. Chris Jones – 37 – 7 (15) – $7,639
4. Levi Thibodaux – 36 – 4 (13) – $6,366
5. Jeff Clark – 35 – 13 (13) – $6,480
6. Walt Stevens – 34 – 9 (14) – $5,093
7. Seth Kelm – 34 – 8 (14) – $4,456
8. Denton Cooper – 34 – 7 (15) – $4,820 (includes $1,000 Phoenix Bonus)
9. Dale Hightower – 31 – 10 (13) – $3,183
10. Bradley Sullivan – 31 – 6 (14) – $2,546
Miller earns the co-angler win
Lonnie Miller went out in the same boat as Copeland on the final day, and the two of them went ahead and made a day of it. Weighing five for 11-13 on the final day, Miller tallied 27-10 for the co-angler win, which earned him a new Phoenix Boats package worth $33,500.
“I know the river pretty well, I’ve fished it a long time,” Miller said. “This is my first MLF win, I’ve had a third and a fifth and some other Top 10s, but this is my first time winning; it’s pretty exciting for me.”
Miller caught fish swimming a craw, as well as on some other baits, but a toad was key on Day 3.
“It was fun, it was one of the most exciting bites – like dropping a cement block in the water when they eat it,” he said.
A retired IT professional, Miller had plenty of friends and family in the crowd when he won.
“I want to thank my family, Major League Fishing, and my pros,” he said. “And of course, this isn’t possible without God.”
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Lonnie Miller – 27 – 10 (12) – $33,500
2. James Edmonds – 23 – 7 (9) – $3,455
3. Mark King – 23 – 3 (9) – $2,794
4. Brett Brumnett – 22 – 8 (10) – $2,313
5. Demarcus Armstrong – 19 – 14 (8) – $1,983
6. Robert Jacuzzi – 18 – 14 (8) – $1,652
7. Alan Hults – 18 – 9 (7) – $1,422
8. Ryan Bowman – 17 – 3 (8) – $1,157
9. Robert Chavers – 16 – 11 (6) – $991
|10. Eugene Kane – 16 – 10 (7) – $826