Chapman outguns everybody, wins co-angler title at Lake Toho
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Even after it was all over and he had collected his $20,000 check for winning the Co-angler Division in Wal-Mart FLW Tour competition at Lake Toho, Kenneth Chapman was still bummed out about not catching a limit.
“I wanted five so bad,” he said, “but I lost three fish today. I jumped one off that was about a pound and a half, then I lost two others.”
And if he had landed that fifth fish, who knows what might have happened? As it was, the co-angler from Woodlawn, Tenn., caught four bass that weighed a collective 19 pounds, 3 ounces and won his division handily by more than 9 pounds. With all that, the FLW rookie would have crushed any division fishing at Toho Friday, pro or co-angler, if such a thing were possible.
Chapman, a retired Army veteran, simply outgunned everybody else in the field, most notably his pro partner Tom Mann Jr. Fishing from the back of Mann’s boat along grass lines on Lake Kissimmee, Chapman switched from throwing a small worm to chunking a green-pumpkin-and-pearl Zoom Horny Toad.
It proved to be the magic bullet; the Horny Toad caught some toads of its own. At around 5, 6 and 7 pounds, respectively, his three heaviest bass proved to be the biggest fish of the day in either division.
“When you’re fishing that top-water and a 5- or 6-pound fish blows up on it, it looks like a bowling ball coming to get it,” Chapman said. “A couple of times after I caught one, I just had to kneel down in the boat.”
Meanwhile, continuing to throw the Senko that led him into the finals, Mann struggled to catch his small limit. He even picked up a Horny Toad for a while to get in on the big-fish action he was seeing in the back of his boat, but to no avail. As frustrating as it was for Mann to see his co-angler out-fish him all day, the veteran pro knew it was a good sign. It meant that his fishing area still had big bass in it, and they’d likely be there for Saturday’s final round.
“It was a great day for him,” Mann said. “I’m proud of him and I’m happy for him. I didn’t want to give up on my (Senko) deal because it’s been good for me this week.”
“I started fishing with a little worm, but I saw the fish moving, the water was getting warmer and the sun was coming out,” Chapman said. “I picked up the Horny Toad after I caught my second one. This thing has been working all week.”
As for his week at Toho and what he learned on the water, the co-angler winner was ecstatic.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “I got to fish with Clark Wendlendt, Glen Chappelear and Tom Mann Jr. You can’t even find a school like that.”
Tim Peek of Sharpsburg, Ga., finished in second place and collected $10,000 with the only limit of the day – 10 pounds, 2 ounces – in the Co-angler Division.
Trevor Jancasz of White Pigeon, Mich., finished third and earned $9,000 with two bass weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces.
Fourth place went to former FLW champ Judy Israel of Clewiston, Fla., for one bass weighing 3 pounds, 9 ounces. She won $8,000.
Bill Rogers of Jasper, Texas, finished fourth and earned $7,000 with two bass weighing 3 pounds, 7 ounces.
Rounding out the top 10 co-angler finishers at Lake Toho:
6th: Merle Wells Jr. of Hammond, N.Y., one bass, 1-14, $6,000
7th: Richard Lowitzki of St. Charles, Ill., one bass, 1-12, $4,000
8th: Rob Newell of Tallahassee, Fla., one bass, 1-12, $3,000
9th: David Brunaugh of Carbondale, Ill., one bass, 1-6, $2,500
10th: John Barrett of Fayetteville, N.C., zero bass, $2,000
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