Jones Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Bama Division Event on Lake Neely Henry
OutdoorHub 07.15.14
Bradley Jones of Aragon, Ga., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds even Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Bama Division tournament of 2014 on Lake Neely Henry. For his victory, Jones earned $4,766.
“I started out catching some small fish shallow in the morning,” said Jones, who earned the first BFL win of his career as a boater. “About two hours into the morning I moved to a deeper spot and I caught a 4½ pounder and then two more big ones. I caught another big one around 1 o’clock. I only caught about eight keepers all day.
“My spot was a rock pile in the main channel that topped out in about 10 feet of water,” Jones explained. “Timing was key. I caught all but one of my big fish when the current was flowing on my key spot.”
“I fish on Neely Henry a lot and I didn’t expect to win,” finished Jones. “I didn’t think I had enough weight. I also lost a big fish that would have been solid, but it was good to get the win.”
Jones said he caught all his fish on a citrus shad-colored Strike King Pro Model 5XD crankbait.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Warren Wyman, Calera, Ala., five bass, 16-3, $1,883
3rd: Billy Brindle, Calhoun, Ga., five bass, 16-0, $1,256
4th: Justin Marbut, Jacksonville, Ala., five bass, 14-7, $879
5th: Patrick Dobbins, Opelika, Ala., five bass, 14-6, $753
6th: Jason Nixon, Wetumpka, Ala., four bass, 14-5, $690
7th: Joe Hartley, Alexandria, Ala., five bass, 14-2, $628
8th: Mark McCaig, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 13-15, $565
9th: Jeff Cannon, Douglasville, Ga., five bass, 13-14, $502
10th: Andy Kilgore, Kingston, Ga., five bass, 13-10, $439
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Josh Wissinger of Hayden, Ala., weighed in four bass totaling 11 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win $1,883 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Zane Loveday, Westover, Ala., four bass, 11-5, $942
3rd: Scott Noles, Woodland, Ala., five bass, 10-8, $627
4th: Jeffrey Clark, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 10-6, $439
5th: Brandon Skinner, De Armanville, Ala., five bass, 10-4, $377
6th: Alan Barrett, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 9-14, $345
7th: Keith Fields, Austell, Ga., four bass, 8-12, $314
8th: Gary Marlowe, Montgomery, Ala., five bass, 8-10, $282
9th: Wesley Bleich, Newnan, Ga., four bass, 8-5, $251
10th: Justin Fortune, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 7-15, $220
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.
