Grogan Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division Event on Lake Eufaula
OutdoorHub 06.30.14
Jay Grogan of Fort Mitchell, Ala., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 23 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division tournament of 2014 on Lake Eufaula. For his victory, Grogan earned $4,119.
“I started off mid-lake fishing in shallow grass with a swimjig,” said Grogan. “That’s where I caught my big fish, I think it weighed 7-11. I stayed there until about lunchtime, and then moved out and fished some deeper places in 6 to 8 feet of water around some stumps.
“The grass was anywhere from 2 to 3 feet deep,” explained Grogan. “The water is a little high right now and there are a lot of bream bedding. There was also a mayfly hatch. I think that’s why the grass was so good.
“Knowing it was a shallow bite was key,” Grogan said. “The big fish are just up shallow now.
“I think I’ve finished everywhere else inside the top-10 on Eufaula,” finished Grogan. “It feels pretty good to finally win.”
Grogan said that he fished a watermelon-colored Strikezone Lures Swim-Tastic Jig shallow and Texas-rigged Zoom worms on his deeper areas.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Ryan Ingram, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 21-3, $2,059
3rd: David Lowery, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 19-4, $1,374
4th: Mark Holloway, Madison, Ga., five bass, 17-3, $961
5th: Pat Fisher, Colbert, Ga., five bass, 16-13, $824
6th: Jeffrey Gentry, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 16-12, $720
6th: Mike Millsaps, Cartersville, Ga., five bass, 16-12, $720
8th: Ken Greene, Lumpkin, Ga., five bass, 16-9, $618
9th: Kenneth Westmoreland, White, Ga., five bass, 15-12, $549
10th: Justin Lanier, Macon, Ga., five bass, 15-10, $480
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Chris Kirksey of Cartersville, Ga., weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win $2,059 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Charlie Dick, Conyers, Ga., five bass, 13-2, $1,030
3rd: Matthew O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., five bass, 11-13, $583
3rd: Joseph Renfroe, Cartersville, Ga., five bass, 11-13, $583
5th: Buck Hilliard, Peachtree City, Ga., five bass, 11-11, $412
6th: Austin Santos, Temple, Ga., four bass, 11-01, $378
7th: Mike Garrett, Pensacola, Fla., four bass, 10-15, $343
8th: Justin Paulus, Atlanta, Ga., five bass, 10-7, $309
9th: Brad Poole, Lawrenceville, Ga., five bass, 10-4, $275
10th: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 10-0, $240
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 2-4 Regional Championship on St. John’s River in Palatka, Fla. 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.
