Holloway Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division on Georgia’s Lake Oconee
OutdoorHub 06.18.13
Mark Holloway of Madison, Ga., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division event on Lake Oconee. For his victory, Holloway earned $3,917.
“It was an uneventful day until the end,” said Holloway. “I just kept throwing my topwater Bass Hound prop bait to bream beds all day long. I knew that if I tried anything else I would have gotten more bites, but I was fishing for the big bite, so I kept targeting bream beds in the backs of spawning pockets.
“The Bass Hound prop bait imitates the bream better than anything else I have used. I really believe that it was my presentation and bait that gave me the win.
“My biggest fish was about 5 pounds, and then I just had good solid fish to fill out my limit. I caught fish all day long, but had what I brought to the scale by about 9 a.m. The bite was definitely more aggressive first thing in the morning.”
According to Holloway, he was targeting the backs of spawning pockets in about 2 feet of water or less.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Pat Fisher, Colbert, Ga., five bass, 16-04, $1,958
3rd: Lamontie Waters, Warner Robins, Ga., five bass, 15-5, $1,307
4th: Scott Hayes, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 15-3, $914
5th: Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., five bass, 14-9, $783
6th: David Lowery, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 14-0, $718
7th: Justin Lanier, Macon, Ga., four bass, 14-05, $653
8th: Kip Carter, Loganville, Ga., five bass, 14-4, $588
9th: Matt Henry, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 13-14, $522
10th: Jack Morris, Watkinsville, Ga. five bass, 13-13, $457
James Murphy of Phenix City, Ala., weighed five bass totaling 17 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win the co-angler division. Murphy earned $1,958 for his victory.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Garrett Stevens, McDonough, Ga., three bass, 11-1, $979
3rd: Joe Anders, Easley, S.C., four bass, 10-0, $555
3rd: Keith Howard, Perry, Ga., five bass, 10-0, $555
5th: Jason Jenkins, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 8-11, $392
6th: Bruce Bennett, Poulan, Ga., four bass, 8-10, $359
7th: Jeff Grubbs, Newnan, Ga., four bass, 8-9, $326
8th: David Bush, Eastman, Ga., four bass, 8-07, $294
9th: Kyle Parks, Albany, Ga., two bass, 8-04, $261
10th: John Hammock, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 8-3, $228
The next BFL Bulldog Division tournament is scheduled for Sept. 14-15 on West Point Lake in Lanett, 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.
