Lee Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division On Lake Guntersville
OutdoorHub 03.05.12
Scottsboro, AL– Jordan Lee of Auburn, Ala., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 27 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division event on Lake Guntersville. For his victory, Lee earned $4,948.
“I fished the Music City division BFL event on Guntersville last weekend,” said Lee, who fished as a team member for Auburn University and finished third in the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship in 2011. “I had around 22 ½ pounds, so I just went back out to the same area where I had been fishing. I had a really good morning, and had all five of my fish by 9:30. I was fishing some staging areas in the 5- to 7-foot range. I was really concentrating on the new milfoil that has been growing in the mid-lake area. I was not getting many bites, but when I did get one it was usually over 5 pounds. I stayed with it and just grinded it out.
“Three of my keepers were caught on the Alabama rig, but my big 7-pounder came in on a Rat-L-Trap,” Lee continued. “The fishing was about the same coming in as it has been the past few weeks. I told my friends that if I could get 10 bites, I could get around 25 pounds and be in contention to win the tournament. I ended up catching 10 fish total, and 27 pounds, so it was pretty close to what I had predicted.”
A marketing major at Auburn University, he has already qualified for the 2012 National Guard FLW College National Championship at Lake Murray, S.C.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Jason Tucker, Dutton, Ala., five bass, 25-4, $2,474
3rd: Will Yelverton, Hazel Green, Ala., five bass, 24-11, $1,649
4th: Leon Knight, Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 23-14, $1,155 + $1,000 Evinrude Bonus
5th: Jason Cooper, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 22-4, $990
6th: Billy Brindle, Calhoun, Ga., five bass, 21-15, $907
7th: Dustin Evans, Eads, Tenn., five bass, 21-4, $825
8th: Brian Merriman, Falkville, Ala., five bass, 20-8, $742
9th: Blake Hall, Hartselle, Ala., five bass, 20-4, $660
10th: Mark Trousdale, Rogersville, Ala., five bass, 20-3, $577
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Mike Cross of Chickamauga, Ga., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $2,474 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Dan Basham, Louisville, Ky., five bass, 20-15, $1,237
3rd: Don Little, Loudon, Tenn., five bass, 20-8, $632
3rd: Curtis Merriman II, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 20-8, $632
3rd: Jason Norris, Ohatchee, Ala., five bass, 20-8, $632
6th: Stephen Mui, Bartlett, Ill., five bass, 18-14, $454
7th: Keith Thames, Owens Cross Roads, Ala., five bass, 18-5, $391
7th: Trent Wright, Scottsboro, Ala., five bass, 18-5, $391
9th: Joe Burchill, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 17-9, $330
10th: Kibbee McCoy, Crossville, Tenn., five bass, 17-8, $289
The next BFL Choo Choo Division tournament is scheduled for March 31 on Lake Guntersville in Guntersville, Ala. After the fifth Choo Choo 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 Seminole in Bainbridge, 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 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.
