Gordon wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division on Arkansas’ Greers Ferry Lake
OutdoorHub 05.13.13
Shawn Gordon of Russellville, Ark., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division event on Greers Ferry Lake. For his victory, Gordon earned $3,545.
Boater Shawn Gordon of Russellville, Ark., won the May 11 Arkie Division event on Greers Ferry with a limit of bass weighing 12 pounds, 10 ounces. Gordon earned over $3,500 in tournament winnings for his efforts.
“I had a fantastic practice on Friday,” said Gordon. “My practice day was actually better than my tournament day, but it still was good enough to get the job done.”
Gordon said that he fished the mid-lake area, near the Narrows. He targeted bushes, flipping, in 2 to 5 feet of water.
“I looked for the bushes that had green leaves,” Gordon said. “They definitely held more fish than the dead bushes. All of the fish that I weighed in came from flipping a green pumpkin-colored Yum Mighty Craw.”
Gordon estimated that he caught 20 keepers throughout the day, with the bite picking up after 10 a.m. He said that the majority of his shallow fish were post-spawn.
“I think that the key to winning was my confidence in staying shallow,” Gordon went on to say. “I knew that they had already spawned, but I didn’t believe that they would be real deep, yet.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Chris Darby, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 11-12, $1,773
3rd: Justin Swayze, Gurdon, Ark., five bass, 10-14, $1,181
4th: Michael Yoder, Texarkana, Ark., five bass, 10-13, $827
5th: David Barron, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 10-8, $709
6th: Paul Harper, Shirley, Ark., five bass, 10-6, $650
7th: Huey Applegate, Jessieville, Ark., five bass, 10-3, $591
8th: Kyle Landers, Benton, Ark., five bass, 10-1, $502 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
8th: Zach Whatley, Texarkana, Ark., five bass, 10-1, $502
10th: Dennis Bean, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 9-15, $414
Michael Massey of Amity, Ark., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 11 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win $1,773 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Michael Andrus, Conway, Ark., five bass, 10-12, $886
3rd: Ladd Owens, Hope, Ark., five bass, 9-10, $591
4th: Cody Rossell, Benton, Ark., five bass, 9-9, $384
4th: David Smith, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 9-9, $384
6th: Samuel Hutson, Benton, Ark., five bass, 9-6, $325
7th: Russell Richmond, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 9-3, $295
8th: Cody Hixon, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 8-15, $266
9th: John Adams, Conway, Ark., five bass, 8-13, $236
10th: Tommy McCullar, Benton, Ark., five bass, 8-11, $207
The next BFL Arkie Division tournament is scheduled for June 15 on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Ark. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Texoma in Pottsboro, Texas. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 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. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27–29 on Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
