Johnson shines from the back, claims $20,000 FLW Okeechobee co-angler title
CLEWISTON, Fla. – What Tim Johnson didn’t know almost cost him. The angler from Dallas, Ga., won the Co-angler Division title at the Wal-Mart FLW Tour opener at Lake Okeechobee Friday despite throwing back several fish that could have been difference-makers.
“The water was so dirty, you can’t see what’s in the livewell,” Johnson said. “So I ended up throwing away some fish that were bigger than what I weighed in today. Boy, I learned a lesson.”
As it was, fishing behind pro David Fritts, Johnson still muscled in a five-bass limit weighing 8 pounds, 9 ounces and edged out runner-up Fred Martin for the title by 2 pounds. Johnson collected $20,000 for the victory.
They say the co-angler spot in the back of the boat is for learning the tournament-fishing business. Fishing with Fritts on day three, Toby Hartsell on day two and Karen Savik on day one, perhaps the lesson Johnson learned best this week was how to win – despite what happened with the livewell today. Previously, Johnson had only fished Stren Series and Wal-Mart BFL events as a pro/boater.
“This feels great. It’s my first tournament ever as a co-angler,” he said. “I thought that it was going to be hard to give up that control, but I had the greatest partners in the world.”
Johnson fished at an undisclosed location Friday, throwing a Rat-L-Trap to catch his limit. He caught about 10 keeper bass on the day.
“I was just throwing that Rat-L-Trap in open water where the fish were relating to cover in a ditch,” he said. “You had to pop it, or you wouldn’t get bit.”
Coming in second place was Martin, who hails from North Little Rock, Ark., with a four-bass catch weighing 6 pounds, 9 ounces. He earned $10,000.
Like many anglers Friday, he had laments about the big one that got away.
“I was just flipping and throwing a spinnerbait,” Martin said, smiling. “I had him on, but he got off. I got him and had him coming toward the boat. He just looked up at me, waved his tail and said goodbye.”
Third place for the co-anglers and $9,000 went to Ron Chapman of Lake Quivera, Kan., for a three-bass weight of 6 pounds, 8 ounces. Incidentally, Ron is the father of touring pro Brent Chapman.
Randy Clark of Mobile, Ala., finished fourth with five bass weighing 5 pounds, 13 ounces, and James Fredieu of Saint Martinville, La., finished fifth with three bass weighing 5-3. Clark earned $8,000, and Fredieu earned $7,000.
Rounding out the top 10 co-angler finishers at FLW Lake Okeechobee:
6th: Bryan Thrift, Shelby, N.C., three bass, 4-0, $6,000
7th: Rob McMurray, Troy, Mich., two bass, 2-9, $4,000
8th: Lee Teeter, Hickory, N.C., two bass, 2-6, $3,000
9th: Jerry Goble, Sherrills Ford, N.C., one bass, 1-0, $2,500
10th: Darrell Stevens, Roseland, Va., zero bass, $2,000 (opening-round leader)