Lee Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division on South Holston Reservoir
OutdoorHub 04.23.12
Joe Lee of Knoxville, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division event on the South Holston Reservoir. For his victory, Lee earned $4,505.
“Coming in I had decided that I was going to fish the lower end of the lake,” said Lee. “I was trying to target the spawning smallmouths that were up on the sides of coves and up the big creek arms. It turned out to be a good decision for me, as I caught 15 bass today. I did catch a few largemouth as well, but they were a little deeper and were still in the pre-spawn phase I believe.”
“I was using a 4-inch green pumpkin-colored Berkley Finesse Worm,” Lee continued. “I was fishing with 8-pound test fluorocarbon line and fishing it extremely slow. They were up real shallow; I couldn’t see them, but I think they were on the beds. I also caught a few largemouth on a green pumpkin-colored Berkley Havoc Pit Boss. I’m really looking forward to the next tournament on Douglas Lake and continuing my goal of a fourth-straight points championship in the Volunteer division.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Rod Grayson, Bristol, Va., five bass, 17-11, $1,753
3rd: Ken Vicchio, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 16-15, $1,169 + $1,000 Evinrude Bonus
4th: Willie Browning, Saltville, Va., five bass, 16-11, $818
5th: Tim Hicks, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 15-11, $701
6th: David Martin, Check, Va., five bass, 15-10, $643
7th: Joe Leonard, Bristol, Va., five bass, 14-15, $584
8th: Guy Sams, Elizabethton, Tenn., five bass, 14-14, $526
9th: Jonathan Henry, Grant, Ala., five bass, 14-10, $467
10th: Derrick Blake, Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 14-5, $388
10th: Anthony Rife, Woodlawn, Va., five bass, 14-5, $388
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Brandon Booher of Bristol, Tenn., weighed in four bass totaling 15 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win $1,753 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Michael Carter, Church Hill, Tenn., five bass, 12-11, $876
3rd: Kenneth Palmer, Lenoir City, Tenn., four bass, 12-6, $585
4th: Doug Neal, Blountville, Tenn., four bass, 12-2, $409
5th: Stephen Wagner, Elizabethton, Tenn., five bass, 11-11, $351
6th: Greg Ray, Bandy, Va., five bass, 11-5, $321
7th: Lester Botts, Blountville, Tenn., three bass, 11-3, $277
7th: Clint Dyer, Jonesbough, Tenn., five bass, 11-3, $277
9th: Jason Yates, Dandridge, Tenn., five bass, 10-4, $23
10th: Chris Seese, Lenoir City, Tenn., five bass, 9-9, $204
The next BFL Volunteer Division tournament is scheduled for May 12 on Douglas Lake in Kodak, Tenn. After the fifth Volunteer Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 18-20 Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. 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.
