Koone captures Co-angler Division title

Hester finishes second in FLW Series opener

GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Kevin Koone of Greenbrier, Ark., won the Co-angler Division of the Wal-Mart FLW Series event on Lake Lanier with a three-day total of 36 pounds, 11 ounces.

This is Koone’s first FLW event, and he was quick to give credit to his three pro partners: John Kitchens, Tom Monsoor and Mark Rose.

“All those guys were awesome draws, and they put me on fish all three days,” Koone said. “I can’t thank them enough.”

He caught the majority of his winning weight on a 5/8-ounce Jewell football jig in a color called peanut butter and jelly. He teamed the jig with a green-pumpkin twin-tail trailer and fished it on 15-pound Seaguar fluorocarbon.

Koone earned $20,000 for his win, some of which will go to paying off student loans he has amassed while studying agribusiness at Arkansas Tech.

Ty Hester of Russellville, Ala., finished second with a three-day total of 46 pounds, 5 ounces and earned $10,000.

During the first two days, Hester said he figured something out that allowed him to catch quality spots behind his partners.

“If my pro fished into a pocket that had a little drain running out of it, I’d throw out into the middle of the pocket and slow-roll a Swarming Hornet Fish Head Spin with an albino Super Fluke on it,” Hester said. “The fish were suspended in those pockets in 20 to 30 feet of water.”

Today, Hester’s pro partner went way up the Chattahoochee River to fish shallow for largemouths.

“I only caught two today, but one was a 5-pounder,” he added. “I caught it out of a brush pile on a jig.”

Ken Keirsey of Owasso, Okla., finished third with a three-day total of 30 pounds, 5 ounces, collecting $9,000. He reported catching his fish on a Chatterbait while fishing stained, shallow water and a Zoom finesse worm on 1/8-ounce jighead when fishing clear water.

Sean Stepp of Stafford, Va., finished fourth with a three-day total of 29 pounds, 5 ounces worth $8,000. He reported catching his fish on a 3/8-ounce Swarming Hornet Fish Head Spin and a green-pumpkin jighead worm.

Wayne Hauser of Winston Salem, N.C., finished fifth with a three-day total of 28 pounds, 3 ounces, collecting $7,000.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers at the Wal-Mart FLW Series event on Lake Lanier:

6th: John Bruce of Dacula, Ga., with a three-day total of 27-9, $6,000

7th: Monte Atkins of Greenville, Va., with a three-day total 26-10, $5,000

8th: Randall Green of Hoschton, Ga., with a three-day total 26-7, $4,000

9th: Jerry Reagan of Byrdstown, Tenn., with a three-day total 25-15, $3,000

10th: Mark Heatwole of Harrisonburg, Va., with a three-day total 25-10, $2,500

Next up

The next FLW Series event will take place May 3-6 on Lake Cumberland at Somerset, Ky.