BFL Super Tournament on Guntersville Lake won by Deakins

Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tenn., caught 10 bass weighing 36 pounds, 11 ounces to win the BFL Bama Division Super Tournament, held Sept. 27-28 on Guntersville Lake near Guntersville, Ala. Angler: Marshall Deakins.

September 28, 2003 • MLF • Archives

GUNTERSVILLE, Ala. – Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tenn., caught 10 bass weighing 36 pounds, 11 ounces to win $7,196 at the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League Bama Division Super Tournament, held this weekend on Guntersville Lake near Guntersville. Deakins bested 130 Boater Division competitors and earned 300 points at the tournament, which was the fifth and final Bama Division event of the regular season.

Deakins caught five bass Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 13 ounces and caught another five weighing 20 pounds, 14 ounces Sunday to win the event. He caught his tournament-winning bass on the grass mats at the north end of the lake. He earned a $1,000 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program, and he earned another $1,000 from Garmin for using a fixed-mount Garmin Fishfinder or combination GPS/sounder during the event.

Rounding out the top five boaters are Terry Tucker of Gadsden (10 bass, 32 pounds, 1 ounce); Jeff Helms of Garden City (10 bass, 30 pounds, 8 ounces); Thomas Southern of Sylacauga (eight bass, 30 pounds); and Johnathan Keel of Scottsboro (eight bass, 29 pounds, 12 ounces).

Edward Gettys of Stevenson claimed $1,300 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 6-pound, 13-ounce bass.

Jimmy Kornegay of Brent led 124 Co-angler Division competitors on day two to claim $3,538 as the Super Tournament co-angler winner. He caught five bass Saturday weighing 15 pounds, 9 ounces and followed that up Sunday with three bass weighing 24 pounds, 13 ounces to earn the win. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a 1/2-ounce black and blue jig.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Phillip Dukes of Rainsville (seven bass, 20 pounds, 5 ounces); Michael Godwin of Douglasville, Ga. (five bass, 19 pounds, 1 ounce); Jonathan Mason of Falkville (five bass, 18 pounds, 9 ounces); and Jerry Bearden of Ashville (four bass, 16 pounds, 10 ounces).

Kornegay took co-angler big-bass honors and $620 with a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass.

Jason Nixon of Wetumpka is the Bama Division’s Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader, winning $1,000 for the 975 points he earned during five regular-season tournaments. Jim Landers of Alexander City is the Yamaha “Be the Best” points leader in the Co-angler Division. He earned $500 for his division-leading 1,016 points.

The top 30 boaters and top 30 co-anglers in the Bama Division will advance to regional competition Oct. 21-25 on the Red River near Natchitoches, La., where they will go up against top competitors from the Arkie, Cowboy and Gulf Coast divisions for a shot at qualifying for the BFL All-American, one of the most lucrative postseason tournaments in competitive angling.

The BFL comprises 24 divisions nationwide, each featuring five regular-season events that lead to one of six regionals. Four of the regular-season tournaments are one-day events, while the final event, a Super Tournament, is a two-day tournament that will award as much as $70,950 to participating anglers. Anglers who enter all five regular-season events in a division but do not advance to a regional may enter the Chevy Trucks Wild Card for a shot at qualifying for the All-American. The All-American field comprises 84 competitors – six boaters and six co-anglers from six regionals plus six boaters and six co-anglers from the Wild Card.

As the nation’s leading provider of affordable, close-to-home weekend tournaments, the BFL is widely credited with opening competitive bass fishing to the masses. It also serves as a steppingstone for anglers who wish to advance to the EverStart Series and ultimately the Wal-Mart FLW Tour – bass fishing’s most lucrative tournament series. Each year the top 30 boaters and co-anglers from each BFL division are eligible to advance to the EverStart Series, and the All-American champions are eligible for Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition. The top 15 pros and co-anglers from the Central, Eastern and Northern divisions of the EverStart Series (top 10 from the Western Division) are eligible to advance to the Wal-Mart FLW Tour. Former BFL anglers who have become fishing superstars on the Wal-Mart FLW Tour include Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Chevy pro Tommy Biffle and four-time FLW Tour champion David Fritts.