Hendricks hauls in top co-angler honors

Bobby Hendricks of Bullard, Texas, holds up the winning check of $15,000 after finishing in first place in the Co-angler Division. Hendricks recorded a final-day catch of 10 pounds, 8 ounces. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Bobby Hendricks.

March 15, 2002 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Texas native blitzes field to grab $15,000 first-place check

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Fishing in only the third FLW tournament of his career, Bobby Hendricks of Bullard, Texas, used a 10-pound, 8-ounce catch to capture first place and take a giant step toward qualifying for the all-important year-end championship. After out-fishing his nearest competitor by a more than 3 full pounds, Hendricks said it was a victory he will never forget.

“It’s exciting,” said Hendricks. “I’ve won a few tournament before, but never anything like this. It’s just been a great week.

“I felt very good coming into this tournament,” Hendricks continued. “I had three good days of practice and I caught a lot of quality fish. So, I had a lot of confidence coming into the finals.”

Although Hendricks wasn’t sure how well he would finish heading back to weigh-in, he thought he had a chance to do something special.

“Anytime you land four fish from the back of the boat, you’re usually in good shape,” he said. “I thought I had a good chance to be in the top five. But to win it all, it feels great.”

Hendricks used a chartreuse and white Golden Eagle spinner bait to land three of his fish, while his final largemouth was hooked on a red rattletrap. However, he also gave credit to his versatility as well as his wealth of fishing experience on his hometown lake of Sam Rayburn.

“My pro partner was fishing inside the grass lines so I knew I had to do something different,” he said. “So, I started targeting the bushes off of the points like I used to do back on Sam Rayburn. It turned out to be a very similar pattern on Lake Ouachita this week. And that really helped.”

Hendricks, who said he will donate a “significant part” of his winnings to a group home dedicated toward helping troubled youths back in Montgomery, Ala., said he couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

“It’s just been a great week,” he said. “Lake Ouachita is such a great place and a great fishery. I’ve had a lot of fun.”

Fuller grabs runner-up check … again

Although most people would be entitled to a little frustration after finishing in second place for the fifth time on the FLW Tour without ever having a victory, T.R. Fuller of Auburn, Ala., is not one of them. For Fuller, the highly competitive nature of the Co-angler Division is reward in-and-of itself.

“If you make the top 10 or the top 20, you’re fishing with class guys,” said Fuller, who netted a total catch weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce in the finals. “They’re not holding anything back.”

Fuller ultimately walked away with a check for $6,000.

Frank Smith of Shepherdsville, Ky., took home third place as well as $4,000 in prize money after landing a 5-pound, 3-ounce catch.

Michael Yeager of Del Rio, Texas, finished in fourth place with a catch of 4 pounds, 13 ounces, while Robert Boley of Huntsville, Texas, finished in fifth place with a catch of 4 pounds, 10 ounces.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top 10 finishers were Luke Smith (sixth) of Eddyville, Ky., with a catch of 3 pounds; Armil Morgan (seventh) of Mineral Springs, Ark., with a catch of 2 pounds, 12 ounces; Alan Paczkowski (eighth) of Henrico, N.C., with a catch of 2 pounds, 11 ounces; Don Carpenter (ninth) of Anniston, Ala., with a catch of 2 pounds, 10 ounces; and Gerald Williams (tenth) of Scottsville, Ky., with a catch of 2 pounds, 9 ounces.

FLW co-angler action resumes April 17-20 at Beaver Lake in Rogers, Ark.