Porter Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Illini Division Event on Rend Lake
OutdoorHub 07.21.14
Brad Porter of Bluford, Ill., weighed four bass totaling 12 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League Illini Division tournament of 2014 on Rend Lake. For his victory, Porter earned $3,889.
“Versatility and fishing the moment was key for me,” said Porter. “I started the tournament fishing shallow and it didn’t work. Then I went to some rocks and they were too pressured. Eventually I decided to do something off the beaten path and I found some wood.”
Porter said that he was throwing a Luck-E-Strike Scrounger jig head with a ribbed swimbait and a green-pumpkin-colored jig on lay-downs in 8 to 10 feet of water on points.
“I was stroking the bait pretty hard,” said Porter. “Most of my bites came at the top of a stroke before the bait would fall back down.
“I didn’t think I would win,” finished Porter. “I had five minutes left in the tournament and I lost a three and a half pounder at the boat. I was crushed. I knew I had a good bag and I thought that fish would seal the deal.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Lance Barnes, Benton, Ill., five bass, 12-2, $1,944
3rd: Neil McCord, W. Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 11-2, $1,297
4th: David Young, Mayfield, Ky., four bass, 11-1, $907
5th: John Wright, Windsor, Ill., four bass, 10-13, $778
6th: Brett Chesnek, Woodlawn, Ill., five bass, 10-8, $713
7th: Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., five bass, 9-15, $648
8th: Kyle Danhausen, Kankakee, Ill., five bass, 9-11, $518
8th: Derek Jenkel, Pinckneyville, Ill., three bass, 9-11, $518
8th: Dan McDowell, Mattoon, Ill., four bass, 9-11, $518
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Jimmy Null of Bethalto, Ill., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 10 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win $1,897 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Michael Russell, Belleville, Ill., four bass, 9-15, $949
3rd: Mike Swetland, Tamoroa, Ill., four bass, 8-5, $633
4th: Garett Guthrie, Carlyle, Ill., three bass, 7-10, $443
5th: Steve Kehrer, Woodlawn, Ill., four bass, 7-9, $379
6th: Larry Steffen, Moweaqua, Ill., three bass, 7-7, $348
7th: Levi Shaw, Opdyke, Ill., four bass, 7-2, $316
8th: Brett Anderson, Woodlawn, Ill., three bass, 5-13, $285
9th: Andy Paschedag, Edwardsville, Ill., three bass, 5-10, $253
10th: Danny Toohey, Greenville, Ill., one bass, 5-6, $221
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 16-18 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Ky. 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.
