Davis Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Bama Division on Alabama’s Lay Lake
OutdoorHub 05.07.13
Clent Davis of Montevallo, Ala., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Bama Division event on Lay Lake. For his victory, Davis earned $3,794 plus $2,000 Ranger Cup and $300 Evinrude bonuses.
“I need to start fishing this lake more often,” said Davis with a smile after winning his second tournament of the year on Lay Lake. “This is my home lake, and I am pretty comfortable fishing here.
“Saturday was a miserable day,” Davis went on to say. “It rained all day. If anything, that probably helped the bite. I was fishing Lay Lake grass or bank grass staying about 2 feet deep. I was using a Dirty Jig Swim Jig, white, with a NetBait Kickin’ B on a 7’6” heavy Halo Rod with a Halo reel. To fish the super thick grass that I was fishing you really need the right equipment to pull those bass out of the grass.”
Davis was running and gunning on Saturday, hitting about 30 to 40 spots and staying on each spot only as long as it took to fish the area. He indicated that there was a shad spawn going on and said he caught 30 to 40 fish that averaged about 2 pounds each.
Davis said the weights for the tournament were a little lower than he anticipated. “Lay Lake has been on fire the last two years. I guess it was post-spawn, so the weights were down from what I have seen lately.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Chris Dill, Hueytown, Ala., five bass, 18-8, $1,897
3rd: Tim Hurst, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 18-2, $1,265
4th: Joey Aderhold, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 16-14, $885
5th: Matthew Owens, Dothan, Ala., five bass, 16-13, $759
6th: Kyle Mabrey, McCalla, Ala., five bass, 16-10, $696
7th: Brian Randall, Lake View, Ala., five bass, 16-7, $600
7th: Ricky Smith, Ohatchee, Ala., five bass, 16-7, $600
9th: Will Davis, Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 16-4, $506
10th: Dalton Bobo, Northport, Ala., five bass, 16-1, $443
Shawn Marquis of Columbus, Ga., weighed five bass totaling 19 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the co-angler division. Marquis earned $1,897 for his victory.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Brian Harbison, McCalla, Ala., five bass, 14-5, $949
3rd: Scott Curvin, Jacksonville, Ala., five bass, 12-14, $633
4th: Hulan Mattox, Alexander City, Ala., five bass, 12-11, $411
4th: Kelly Townson, Hartselle, Ala., five bass, 12-11, $411
6th: Kevin Johnson, Grady, Ala., five bass, 12-10, $348
7th: Scott Noles, Woodland, Ala., five bass, 11-8, $316
8th: Ty Story, Prattville, Ala., four bass, 10-11, $285
9th: Wayne Haynes, Ohatchee, Ala., five bass, 10-6, $253
10th: Kathryn Dysart, Pelham, Ala., three bass, 10-5, $221
The next BFL Bama Division tournament is scheduled for June 15 on Neely Henry in Gadsden, Ala. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Lavonia, Ga. 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 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27–29 on the Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
