Weekend Wrap-Up – May 4, 2015
This weekend saw history being made at the Rayovac level. Plus, it was a bush- and flipping-filled BFL Saturday and the College Fishing ranks produced some Guntersville giants. Here’s a recap of last weekend’s tournament action.
Hanselmania III
Going into the Rayovac FLW Series Texas Division event on Texoma all eyes were on Ray Hanselman to see if he could be the first to sweep a division. He answered that question with an emphatic victory – beating second-place Bradley Hallman by a whopping 12 pounds. Hanselman banked nearly $100,000 in his perfect season and set the bar by which all other hot streaks to come will be judged. The ability for anyone to sweep a whole season is astounding – everyone’s attention will be focused on Hanselman at the Rayovac FLW Series Championship.
In other news from Texoma, Bradley Hallman finished second and improved to 6th in the AOY points, thus locking up a spot on the Walmart FLW Tour for 2015. He’ll no doubt be a welcome addition and could be a popular Fantasy Fishing buy anywhere the Tour lands.
Having final standings from the Texas Division also means that Chris McCall will have a chance to make the Forrest Wood Cup in back-to-back years out of the Rayovac FLW Series Championship, He qualified for the 2015 Cup with an 8th place finish on Wheeler last fall, and regardless of how he does this summer on Ouachita, he’ll have another shot at getting back for 2016.
Southeastern Conference On Guntersville
As expected, the College Fishing Southeastern Conference event on Guntersville featured a big winning weight. The University of North Alabama duo of Clint Frederick and Cody Harrison cracked 26-8 on ledges for the win and a spot in the Conference Championship, but the overall weights were down from lasts year’s southeastern event on May 17th. Last year 10 teams broke the 22-pound barrier – this time only the winners did.
Shallow Bass Rule On BFL Saturday
Saturday’s slate of BFL events proved that spring is in full swing and the bass are shallow around muchof the country. Fishing docks and bushes accounted for two wins and the remaining two events were held on current-oriented waters (the Red River and Chesapeake Bay) and were won shallow as well. If you’re fishing this weekend, going shallow might not be a bad call.
The Week Ahead
This week is a busy one, with a pair of Rayovac FLW Series events – one on the California Delta and another on Kentucky Lake – as well as College Fishing events on Smith Mountain Lake and the Delta.
And of course, BFL action will continue to roll along with six events taking place:
Bulldog Division – Lake Seminole
Cowboy Division – Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Great Lakes Division – Mississippi River
Music City Division – Center Hill Lake
Piedmont Division – Lake Gaston
Volunteer Division – South Holston Reservoir