Knight crowned king on Douglas Lake
Neece wins co-angler title
KODAK, Tenn. – Jeff Knight of Cleveland, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division tournament of 2014 on Douglas Lake. For his victory, Knight earned $3,592.
Knight’s win was his first BFL victory since 2005, and it came on a lake that he hadn’t fished in over 20 years.
“I practiced on Friday and just dropped the trolling motor down and caught about 20 pounds on a jig,” said Knight. “I went right back there on Saturday and they were still there.
“I was just hopping a jig down rock ledges. I was casting into about 2 feet and letting it fall down the ledges. When they’d hit you would definitely know it.”
Knight said he was throwing a kudzu-colored Choo Choo Custom Lures jig.
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Burton Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 15-11, $1,796
3rd: Travis Lilly, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 14-10, $1,201
4th: George Carroll, Clinton, Tenn., five bass, 14-7, $838
5th: Charles Ellis, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 14-5, $718
6th: Larry Neal, Piney Flats, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $659 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
7th: Brian Hazel, Clinton, Tenn., five bass, 13-13, $599
8th: Garry Minnick, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 13-6, $539
9th: Joe Leonard, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 13-4, $479
10th: Lee Varner, Andersonville, Tenn., five bass, 12-15, $419
Complete results can be found here.
Neece nets co-angler title
Jim Neece of Bristol, Va., weighed in three bass totaling 12 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win $1,796 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Tyler Duckworth, Gray, Tenn., five bass, 11-11, $898
3rd: Shawn Bishop, Johnson City, Tenn., five bass, 10-15, $598
4th: John Swallows, Charleston, Tenn., five bass, 10-12, $419
5th: Jesse Burnett, Norris, Tenn., four bass, 10-11, $329
5th: Justin McGaha, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 10-11, $329
5th: Jonathan Wood, Canton, N.C., five bass, 10-11, $329
8th: Kevin Hughes, Bristol, Va., five bass, 9-1, $269
9th: Gary Carroll, Jonesville, Va., five bass, 9-0, $239
10th: Jason Webb, Rockwood, Tenn., two bass, 8-11, $210
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. 9-11 Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. 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. 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.