Bed fish lift McMahan to victory on Guntersville - Major League Fishing

Bed fish lift McMahan to victory on Guntersville

Biffle blows out co-angler competition
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Kevin McMahan of Huntsville, Ala., won the April 12 Choo Choo Division event on Lake Guntersville with a whopping 28-pound, 11-ounce limit to earn a check for over $3,600. Angler: Kevin McMahan.
April 12, 2014 • MLF • Archives

SCOTTSBORO, Ala. – Kevin McMahan of Huntsville, Ala., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 28 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division tournament of 2014 on Lake Guntersville. For his victory, McMahan earned $3,641.

The spawn is in full swing in many southern states and McMahan took full advantage of it to notch his first BFL win.

“I couldn’t see them at all because there was so much pollen and color in the water,” said McMahan. “The fish were relating primarily to the red-clay banks with hard bottom and shell beds in large shallow coves. They were mostly in places in the mid-lake area that were warmer than the rest of the lake.

“I figure that I culled out a 24 pound bag. I probably had 15 keepers and some shorts,” said McMahan. “I would catch a 12-inch little male and then pitch back into the same spot and catch a 5- or 6-pounder.

“Every fish I caught came on a 1/2-ounce Mean Mouth jig. I used a Duckett Fishing Micro Magic rod. It’s an extremely sensitive rod and was the right action for that style of fishing.

“I was the very first person to weigh-in,” finished McMahan, “I had to wait until the very end to figure out if I won or not.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2nd: James Smith, Hampton Cove, Ala., five bass, 28-8, $1,820

3rd: Gary Fleming, Russellville, Ala., five bass, 25-4, $1,214

4th: Pat Kelly Sr., Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 24-14, $850

5th: Jim Leary, Meridianville, Ala., five bass, 22-14, $728

6th: Erwin Cole, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 21-15, $668 + Evinrude Bonus

7th: Chris Webb, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 21-11, $607

8th: Bland Morris, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 21-3, $515

8th: Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 21-3, $515

10th: Marshall Deakins, Dunlap, Tenn., five bass, 20-10, $425

Complete results can be found here.

Biffle wins co-angler division

Co-angler John Biffle of Chattanooga, Tenn., won the April 12 Choo Choo Division event on Lake Guntersville with a limit weighing 27 pounds, 2 ounces to win over $1,800 in prize money.John Biffle of Chattanooga, Tenn., weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 27 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win $1,820 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: Alan Barrett, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 22-9, $910

3rd: James Boyd, Russellville, Ala., five bass, 22-4, $516

3rd: Thomas White, Iron City, Tenn., five bass, 22-4, $516

5th: Robert Richardson, Calhoun, Ga., five bass, 21-10, $364

6th: Steven Dabbs, Boaz, Ala., five bass, 20-12, $334

7th: Collin Bruce, Florence, Ala., five bass, 19-1, $303

8th: Josh Dees, Mount Olive, Ala., five bass, 18-1, $273

9th: Brennon Binkley, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 16-1, $243

10th: Chris Patterson, Kimberly, Ala., five bass, 15-14, $212

Complete co-angler results can be found here.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 2-4 Regional Championship on the 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. The 2014 BFL All-American is being held June 5-7 on Wilson Lake in Florence, Ala. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

About FLW

FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2014 over the course of 229 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube.