Ferguson Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division on Douglas Lake
OutdoorHub 05.14.12
Bobby Ferguson of Chuckey, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 26 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division event on Douglas Lake. For his victory, Ferguson earned $5,337.
“Everything was perfect out there,” said Ferguson. “I could not have asked for a better day. I was fishing for suspended fish in around 25 feet of water. I only had seven bites on the day, but I was able to boat all seven of them. I was pretty confident when I was coming to the scales. I figured coming in that it would take around 25 pounds to win this event, so when I was bringing my stringer up I knew that I had a very good shot.
“I was throwing a custom painted Luhr Jensen Hot Lips crankbait most of the day using my 7-foot, 7-inch All Pro Rods cranking stick,” Ferguson continued. “The key to my day was just being patient and persistent. When you’re fishing for suspended fish, it can be tough and you don’t get a whole lot of bites. The bite was never really better at any point during the day; all seven of my fish came at different times. I was just happy to catch enough to get the win.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
- 2nd: J.R. Henard, Rogersville, Tenn., five bass, 20-13, $1,668
- 3rd: Wayne Coppage, Jonesboro, Tenn., five bass, 19-1, $1,112
- 4th: Tory Ferrell, Morristown, Tenn., five bass, 18-8, $779 + $1,000 Evinrude Bonus
- 5th: Burton Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 17-7, $667
- 6th: David Mullins, Mount Carmel, Tenn., five bass, 17-4, $612
- 7th: Archie Wilson Jr., Corryton, Tenn., five bass, 16-13, $556
- 8th: Tim Smiley, White Pine, Tenn., five bass, 16-6, $501
- 9th: Joe Leonard, Bristol, Va., five bass, 14-12, $445
- 10th: Joe Lee, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 14-8, $389
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Jonathan Saddler of Bristol, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds even Saturday to win $1,668 in the co-angler division
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
- 2nd: Billy Watson, Readyville, Tenn., three bass, 15-9, $834
- 3rd: Tim Townes, Castlewood, Va., five bass, 10-15, $558
- 4th: Brett Rodefer, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 10-13, $389
- 5th: Jason Yates, Dandridge, Tenn., five bass, 10-12, $334
- 6th: Clint Dyer, Jonesbough, Tenn., five bass, 10-10, $306
- 7th: Lester Botts, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 10-1, $278
- 8th: Rod James, Soddy Daisy, Tenn., five bass, 9-15, $250
- 9th: Joshua Trent, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 9-10, $222
- 10th: Maelstrom Kiewiet, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 9-8, $195
The next BFL Volunteer Division tournament is scheduled for June 9 on Lake Cherokee in Morristown, Tenn. After the fifth Volunteer Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 18-20 Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. 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 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
