Barton Wins Walmart Bass Fishing Okie Division Event on Lake Eufaula
OutdoorHub 05.19.14
– Ed Barton of Vian, Okla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Okie Division tournament of 2014 on Lake Eufaula. For his victory, Barton earned $5,498.
“This one was a long time coming,” said Barton, who earned the first BFL victory of his career. “I’ve been fishing BFL events for a long time. I’ve had quite a few top-10s and I even finished in second place at the All-American back in 1985. I never could seem to win one, but I finally had a great day and broke through.”
Barton said that he fished in the Long Town area of Lake Eufaula and targeted a 200-yard rocky flat with a chartreuse-colored River2Sea spinnerbait.
“I found the flat using my Lowrance graph,” Barton said. “I caught my fifth fish and filled my limit by 8:45 a.m. My two biggest fish came between 10 and 11, and I probably caught 12 to 15 keepers total.
“Most of the fish were postspawn,” Barton continued. “They were hiding in the rocks, guarding fry. It was pretty windy out, and my Power Pole was crucial. I think the key was my spinnerbait, though. I’ve weighed in 14 fish in three BFL events so far this year and every single one of them have came on that spinnerbait.
“My daughter graduated on Friday, and then I went out and won this tournament the next day,” Barton went on to say. “It was an amazing weekend.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Shonn Goodwin, Moore, Okla., five bass, 17-11, $2,249
3rd: Jeremy Johnson, Henryetta, Okla., five bass, 17-2, $1,498
4th: Michael Thompson, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 15-12, $1,050
5th: Chuck Nelson, Elmore City, Okla., five bass, 15-6, $900
6th: Ken Smith, Dallas, Texas, five bass, 15-5, $825
7th: Casey Sullivan, Vian, Okla., five bass, 15-1, $750
8th: Chris Jones, Pocola, Okla., five bass, 14-15, $675
9th: Ron Shaw, Moore, Okla., five bass, 14-2, $600
10th: Matthew Salyer, Owasso, Okla., five bass, 13-14, $525
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Wesley Potter of Colcord, Okla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win $2,249 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Ben Blaschke, Muldrow, Okla., five bass, 13-12, $1,125
3rd: Jerry Eakle, Quinton, Okla., four bass, 11-13, $752
4th: Cory Miller, Marlow, Okla., four bass, 11-4, $525
5th: Dylan Duncan, Kansas, Okla., five bass, 10-10, $450
6th: David Leonard, Skiatook, Okla., four bass, 10-2, $412
7th: Travis Edwards, Edmond, Okla., five bass, 10-0, $375
8th: Mark Wheaton, Guthrie, Okla., five bass, 9-12, $337
9th: Chastin Ezell, El Reno, Okla., five bass, 9-7, $281
9th: Drew Sagely, Rogers, Ark., four bass, 9-7, $281
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 16-18 Regional Championship on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Jasper, Texas. 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. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
