Grace Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division Event on Lake Dardanelle
OutdoorHub 06.23.14
Sawyer Grace of Russellville, Ark., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds even Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division tournament of 2014 on Lake Dardanelle. For his victory, Grace earned $3,632.
“I ran up the river to start,” said Grace, a student at Arkansas Tech University. “I fished a Booyah Poppin’ Pad Crasher frog over a key stretch of pads that was a little bit deeper than usual. I caught four fish in the first few hours and then moved out to some deep drops.”
Grace said that he finished his limit with a Texas-rigged plum-colored Yum F2 Ribbontail Worm that he dragged over drops with brush on them in 8 to 15 feet of water.
“I think I only caught seven keepers all day,” said Grace. “It felt pretty good to win. I’m only 20 years old and to be able to win at such a young age is pretty cool.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Duke Gunnell, Bee Branch, Ark., five bass, 21-11, $1,816
3rd: Ronald Mounts, Hoxie, Ark., five bass, 18-6, $1,210
4th: Paul Helton, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 17-9, $847 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
5th: Shawn Gordon, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 17-4, $726
6th: Will Cranston, N. Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 16-9, $666
7th: Jason Lieblong, Conway, Ark., five bass, 15-10, $605
8th: Mike Rhinehart, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 15-3, $545
9th: Zach King, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 14-11, $484
10th: Randy Brickell, Royal, Ark., five bass, 14-6, $424
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Dayton Taylor of Beebe, Ark., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win $1,816 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Dale Clark, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 15-13, $908
3rd: Bob West, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 14-7, $606
4th: Roderick Gripe, Bella Vista, Ark., four bass, 13-5, $424
5th: Tim Morris, Redfield, Ark., four bass, 11-5, $363
6th: Tom Olson, Benton, Ark., four bass, 10-9, $333
7th: Larry Carter, Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 9-1, $303
8th: Chris Pursley, Russellville, Ark., three bass, 8-13, $272
9th: Larry Johnson, Lavaca, Ark., four bass, 8-9, $242
10th: Robert Scott, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 8-5, $212
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.
