Melton Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division on Lake Monroe
OutdoorHub 04.16.12
John Melton of Corydon, Ind., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division event on Lake Monroe. For his victory, Melton earned $5,632.
“The fish were biting on everything,” said Melton. “I caught my bigger fish in the morning, and the bite seemed to be a little better then, but they were definitely biting all day long. I was fishing out on the main lake. I was sitting in 15 to 20 feet of water, but the fish were up shallow, only about 1 to 5 feet deep. I caught around 20 fish throughout the day, with at least 14 keepers.
“It was raining and pretty cloudy all day,” Melton continued. “Thunderstorms were coming in and out, and there was a pretty good wind, too. I had most of my success with soft plastics. I was throwing green pumpkin- and watermelon-colored tubes and beavers. I also caught 5 to 6 keepers on spinnerbaits and crankbaits, too. I had been able to get a few good days of practice in before the tournament, so that allowed me to target the areas that I knew had fish.”
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
The next BFL Hoosier Division tournament is scheduled for June 2 on Lake Patoka in Jasper, Ind. After the fifth Hoosier Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 4-6 Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee in Morristown, Tenn. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 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 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
