Carden Starts Shallow, Ends Deep for Win

Stevens nets co-angle title on Lay Lake

Coby Carden of Shelby, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bama Division tournament of 2016 on Lay Lake. For his victory, Carden took home $5,009.

Carden began his day fishing shallow willow grass on the upper end of the lake.

“I hit four areas and caught two 4-pound largemouths on a Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog 60,” says Carden, who earned his second win in FLW competition. “Around 9 a.m., I went out deep to main-river ledges to fill out my limit.”

Carden says he rotated between a Citrus Sparkle-colored Livingston Lures Dive Master crankbait and a Junebug Red-colored Big Bite Baits Jeff Kriet Squirrel Tail Worm on the ledges.

“I had six ledges where I let the crankbait dive 10 feet down and ran the worm near stumps,” says Carden. “They were my sweet spots. I had my limit-fish by 1 p.m. and didn’t do much upgrading after that. I was just in the right place at the right time Saturday. It was a great tournament.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Coby Carden, Shelby, Ala., five bass, 18-2, $5,009

2^nd:         David Gaston, Sylacauga, Ala., five bass, 17-2, $2,005

3^rd:          Chris Rutland, Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 15-5, $1,336

4^th:          Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 14-0, $935

5^th:          Shawn Marquis, Fortson, Ga., five bass, 13-13, $802

6^th:          Kenny Malone, Columbiana, Ala., five bass, 13-5, $1,285

7^th:          Bobby Jones, Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 13-4, $668

8^th:          Jeff Carreker, Locust Grove, Ga., five bass, 13-1, $601

9^th:          Joe Wikoff, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 12-15, $535

10^th:        Clabion Johns, Covington, Ga., five bass, 12-9, $468

Complete results can be found here.

Malone caught a bass weighing 6 pounds even – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $550.

Stevens wins co-angler title

Garrett Stevens of McDonough, Georgia, weighed in three bass totaling 11 pounds, 2 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,135.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Garrett Stevens, McDonough, Ga., three bass, 11-2, $2,135

2^nd:         Danny Smith, Tyrone, Ga., five bass, 10-12, $1,000

3^rd:          Jeffrey Ford, Trion, Ga., five bass, 9-12, $666

4^th:          Chance Hebert, Norcross, Ga., five bass, 8-15, $467

5^th:          Slaton Jemison, Mathews, Ala., five bass, 8-14, $400

6^th:          Larry Purdie, Columbus, Ga., three bass, 8-6, $367

7^th:          Michael Donaldson, Thorsby, Ala., four bass, 8-0, $333

8^th:          Todd Radney, Oxford, Ala., four bass, 7-15, $300

9^th:          Michael Smith, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 7-10, $250

9^th:          Hayden Tilley, Ider, Ala., five bass, 7-10, $250

Rodney Thompson of Highland Home, Alabama, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $135.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 27-29 Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.