BYRDSTOWN, Tenn – Mark Morgan of Somerset, Kentucky, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 1 ounce, Saturday to win the second FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division tournament of 2016 on Dale Hollow Lake. For his victory, Morgan took home $6,830.
Morgan said that he spent his day focusing on bass that were congregating in shallow water, near steep banks. He said he ran to multiple sections of the lake and rotated between seven points.
“My boat was in deep water, between 15 and 20 feet, but the bait was shallow,” said Morgan, who notched his third win in FLW competition. “A lot of bass were up very shallow and spawning, but mine were still staging and getting ready to spawn. I spent around 45 minutes in each section and after my first rotation I had my winning weight in the boat.”
Morgan said he used one bait to catch his limit – a green-pumpkin-colored Cumberland Pro Lures jig rigged with a green-pumpkin Strike King Rage Tail Craw.
“The water was very clear so I didn’t want anything with flash,” said Morgan. “The small profile of the lure was crucial for my catch as well.”
Morgan finished by saying he was able to catch approximately 14 keepers throughout the event.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Mark Morgan, Somerset, Ky., five bass, 21-1, $4,830 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Richard Cobb, Berea, Ky., five bass, 19-2, $2,415
3rd: Terry Ledford, Gray, Ky., five bass, 18-8, $1,234
3rd: Tim McDonald, Prestonsburg, Ky., five bass, 18-8, $1,234
3rd: Jason Cooper, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 18-8, $1,234
6th: Todd Beaty, Rickman, Tenn., five bass, 18-7, $885
7th: Brandon Wallen, Monticello, Ky., five bass, 18-2, $805
8th: Charlie Crisp Jr., Catlettsburg, Ky., five bass, 17-13, $724
9th: Josh Gaffney, Crab Orchard, Ky., five bass, 17-11, $644
10th: Adam Militana, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 17-7, $563
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Ron Foss of Berea, Kentucky, caught a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $720.
Larry Brandenburg of Richmond, Kentucky, weighed in five bass totaling 16 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,415.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Larry Brandenburg, Richmond, Ky., five bass , 16-11, $2,415
2nd: Josh Boone, London, Ky., five bass, 16-8, $1,207
3rd: Tracy Helton, London, Ky., five bass, 15-15, $684
3rd: Brent Clark, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 15-15, $684
5th: Doug Adkins, Gray Hawk, Ky., five bass, 15-10, $483
6th: Joshua Jernigan, Rocky Top, Tenn., five bass, 15-0, $443
7th: Steven Brown, Bowling Green, Ky., five bass, 14-14, $402
8th: Brian Copeland, Rickman, Tenn., five bass, 13-11, $362
9th: Timothy Ernst, Mount Eden, Ky., four bass, 13-3, $682
10th: Walter Smith, Hardy, Ky., four bass, 12-7, $282
Ernst caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 1 ounce and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $360.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, 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 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope: @FLWFishing.
