Digh Wins Walmart BFL Regional on Smith Mountain Lake
OutdoorHub 10.17.11
HUDDLESTON, Va. Oct. 17, 2011 – Rob Digh of Denver, N.C., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional on Smith Mountain Lake with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 30 pounds, 12 ounces. For his victory, Brummett won a 198VX Ranger boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor plus a Chevy 1500 Silverado and entry into the BFL All-American Championship tournament. This regional tournament featured the top 40 boaters and co-anglers from the Buckeye, Northeast, South Carolina and Volunteer divisions of the Walmart FLW BFL circuit.
“Around 10:00 a.m. Thurs. morning I didn’t have a fish,” said Digh. “I found a good spot to crank during practice earlier in the week, so I decided to stop back there even though water levels had risen after the storm passed through Tuesday night. Sure enough, I caught three keepers and 11 fish there the first day.
“The water had come up even more on the second day, and I knew it would change everything,” Digh continued. “The high water levels pushed the fish up shallow, so I caught all my fish using a jig and spinnerbait the last two days. My little crank hole got me off to a good start and gave me confidence because the first few hours were really tough.”
The remaining top six boaters and also qualifying for the BFL All-American were:
- 2nd: Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., 11 bass, 28-14, $1,500
- 3rd: Chris Martinkovic, Liberty Township, Ohio, nine bass, 27-0, $1,100
- 4th: Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., 12 bass, 25-8, $1,000
- 5th: Grayson Mathis, Aiken, S.C., 12 bass, 24-10, $900
- 6th: David Martin, Check, Va., nine bass, 17-6, $800
Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:
- 7th: James Hailstones, Cincinnati, Ohio, seven bass, 17-5, $700
- 8th: Kevin Edwards, Knoxville, Tenn., six bass, 17-4, $650
- 9th: Dave Lauer, McConnelsville, Ohio, six bass, 17-0, $600
- 10th: Allan Williams, Goose Creek, S.C., six bass, 15-6, $550
Brandon Booher of Bristol, Tenn., won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of six bass weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces. He took home a 198VX Ranger boat including an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor along with a berth in the BFL All-American Championship tournament.
The remaining top six co-anglers and also qualifying for the BFL All-American were:
- 2nd: Jason Yates, Dandridge, Tenn., nine bass, 20-15, $750
- 3rd: Jonathan Hankins, North Tazewell, Va., seven bass, 16-7, $550
- 4th: Brandon Temples, Ninety Six, S.C., seven bass, 14-15, $500
- 5th: Bobby Drinnon, Rogersville, Tenn., six bass, 14-10, $450
- 6th: Craig Dubois, Sprakers, N.Y., eight bass, 13-13, $400
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
- 7th: Greg Bierman, Cincinnati, Ohio, seven bass, 11-2, $350
- 8th: Frank Appaluccio, Sparta, N.J., six bass, 10-9, $325
- 9th: Jeff Warren, Lansdale, Pa., three bass, 9-9, $300
- 10th: Bryan C. Morton, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 8-8, $275
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 one of six regional tournaments and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifes them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the EverStart Series on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWEverStartSeries and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWOutdoors.
