Deaver Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division Event on Toledo Bend
OutdoorHub 04.07.14
Randy Deaver of Blanchard, La., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division tournament of the season on Toledo Bend Lake. For his victory, Deaver earned $4,963.
Deaver, a part-time guide on Caddo Lake and 2012 BFL Cowboy Division angler of the year, picked up the first BFL win of his career despite losing a fish the he estimated at nearly 9-pounds.
“It felt really good to win,” said Deaver. “I’ve been trying to get this for several years now. I’ve been real close but still, I didn’t have a win. I’m pumped.
“One of the fish I weighed in came on a V&M swimjig, but the rest I caught off of beds,” Deaver explained. “I had several fish marked on beds, but I couldn’t get to several because of the wind. All the bigger fish that I weighed in were ones I’d marked in practice. I targeted the south end of the lake all day, in the clear water.
“My biggest fish was only about five and a half pounds,” finished Deaver. “The one that I lost was close to 9-pounds, and I had fished for her for about 45 minutes trying to get her to bite. At the time I had a 2-pounder in my livewell, and I knew that fish would have put me way up.”
Deaver said that his primary baits were a white-colored craw and a white V&M Split Tail Beaver.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Randy Despino, Colfax, La., five bass, 18-9, $1,981
3rd: Andy Gaia, Tomball, Texas, five bass, 18-6, $1,123
3rd: Bob Vote, Kingwood, Texas, five bass, 18-6, $1,123 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
5th: Dean Lee, Longview, Texas, five bass, 18-4, $793
6th: Bill Cook, Houston, Texas, three bass, 17-5, $727
7th: James Davis Jr., Ferriday, La., five bass, 16-14, $660
8th: Ronnie Bickham, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 16-4, $594
9th: Dillon Lee, Mount Pleasant, Texas, five bass, 15-13, $528
10th: Josh Moore, Grand Cane, La., five bass, 15-9, $462 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Ronnie Brown of Woodville, Texas, weighed in four bass totaling 15 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win $1,981 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: John Semken, Shreveport, La., five bass, 14-2, $991
3rd: Audi Price, Killeen, Texas, five bass, 12-4, $662
4rd: Roy Wise, Nevada, Texas, five bass, 11-15, $462
5th: Ben Faucheaux, Natchitoches, La., five bass, 11-14, $396
6th: Paul Adams, Houston, Texas, four bass, 11-10, $363
7th: Jared West, Deer Park, Texas, five bass, 11-7, $330
8th: Randy Pewthers, Pearland, Texas, five bass, 11-6, $297
9th: Eddie Lindley, Ulm, Ark., four bass, 11-2, $264
10th: Ryan Lejeune, Eunice, La., five bass, 11-0, $231
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 9-11 Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C 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 2014 BFL All-American is being held June 5-7 on Wilson Lake in Florence, Ala. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
