Fishing wood produced for Porter
Null nets co-angler title on Rend Lake
WHITTINGTON, Ill. – Brad Porter of Bluford, Ill., weighed four bass totaling 12 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League Illini Division tournament of 2014 on Rend Lake. For his victory, Porter earned $3,889.
“Versatility and fishing the moment was key for me,” said Porter. “I started the tournament fishing shallow and it didn’t work. Then I went to some rocks and they were too pressured. Eventually I decided to do something off the beaten path and I found some wood.”
Porter said that he was throwing a Luck-E-Strike Scrounger jig head with a ribbed swimbait and a green-pumpkin-colored jig on lay-downs in 8 to 10 feet of water on points.
“I was stroking the bait pretty hard,” said Porter. “Most of my bites came at the top of a stroke before the bait would fall back down.
“I didn’t think I would win,” finished Porter. “I had five minutes left in the tournament and I lost a 3 1/2-pounder at the boat. I was crushed. I knew I had a good bag and I thought that fish would seal the deal.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Lance Barnes, Benton, Ill., five bass, 12-2, $1,944
3rd: Neil McCord, W. Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 11-2, $1,297
4th: David Young, Mayfield, Ky., four bass, 11-1, $907
5th: John Wright, Windsor, Ill., four bass, 10-13, $778
6th: Brett Chesnek, Woodlawn, Ill., five bass, 10-8, $713
7th: Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., five bass, 9-15, $648
8th: Kyle Danhausen, Kankakee, Ill., five bass, 9-11, $518
8th: Derek Jenkel, Pinckneyville, Ill., three bass, 9-11, $518
8th: Dan McDowell, Mattoon, Ill., four bass, 9-11, $518
Complete results can be found by clicking here.
Null wins co-angler title
Jimmy Null of Bethalto, Ill., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 10 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win $1,897 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Michael Russell, Belleville, Ill., four bass, 9-15, $949
3rd: Mike Swetland, Tamoroa, Ill., four bass, 8-5, $633
4th: Garett Guthrie, Carlyle, Ill., three bass, 7-10, $443
5th: Steve Kehrer, Woodlawn, Ill., four bass, 7-9, $379
6th: Larry Steffen, Moweaqua, Ill., three bass, 7-7, $348
7th: Levi Shaw, Opdyke, Ill., four bass, 7-2, $316
8th: Brett Anderson, Woodlawn, Ill., three bass, 5-13, $285
9th: Andy Paschedag, Edwardsville, Ill., three bass, 5-10, $253
10th: Danny Toohey, Greenville, Ill., one bass, 5-6, $221
Complete co-angler results can be found by clicking here.
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 16-18 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Ky. 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, Instagram and YouTube.