Spencer Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Mountain Division on Kentucky’s Barren River
OutdoorHub 06.03.13
Daniel Spencer of Glasgow, Ky., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Mountain Division event on the Barren River. For his victory, Spencer earned $4,244 plus a $1,000 Mercury bonus.
With Saturday’s early morning wind and rain, came an early morning bite according to Spencer who said he had his limit within the first two hours of the tournament. But like so often happens when bass fishing, the wind stopped, the sun came out and the bite died.
“I had my limit in the first two hours,” said Spencer. “I found a good school of fish on a drop and pretty much all my fish came from that one school.
“I did catch about 15 keepers throughout the day, but most of the ones I weighed came from that first school I found. I caught everything on a jig – green pumpkin. I really thought I needed another couple of pounds to win, but thought going in to weigh-in that I would be close.”
Spencer indicated that he found his fish on Thursday during practice and was feeling pretty confident going in to the tournament.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd Doyle Epperson, Nancy, Ky., five bass, 16-6, $2,122
3rd: Jason Cooper, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 16-0, $1,413
4th: Shawn Caskey, Mount Sterling, Ky., five bass, 15-8, $990
5th: Jeff Carman, Liberty, Ky., five bass, 15-1, $849
6th: Greg Pugh, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 15-0, $742
6th: Bobby Smith, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 15-0, $742
8th: Flint Fivecoait, Corbin, Ky., five bass, 14-12, $637
9th: Shane Winchester, Glasgow, Ky., five bass, 14-6, $566
10th: John Daniel, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 14-2, $495 plus $300 Evinrude bonus
Michael May of Richmond, Ky., weighed five bass totaling 14 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division. May earned $2,122 for his victory.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Leslie Coleman, Columbus, Ind., five bass, 14-4, $1,061
3rd: JP Sims, Cookeville, Tenn., five bass, 13-9, $707
4th: Gary Craynon, Prestonsburg, Ky., five bass, 13-5, $495
5th: Kelly Poynter, Parksville, Ky., five bass, 13-4, $424
6th: Colton Smith, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 13-3, $389
7th: Ezekiel (Zeke) Reynolds, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 12-7, $354
8th: Justin Watkins, Allons, Tenn., four bass, 12-6, $300
8th: Tommy Glass, Burlington, Ky., five bass, 12-6, $300
10th: Andrew Devere, Paint Lick, Ky., five bass, 12-3, $248
The next BFL Mountain Division tournament is scheduled for Sept. 7-8 on the Barren River in Scottsville, Ky. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 3-5 Regional Championship on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, 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 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.