Holley hammers 'em on Pickwick - Major League Fishing

Holley hammers ’em on Pickwick

Bowdre takes co-angler title
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Currey Holley of Pulaski, Tenn., won the June 21 Choo Choo Division event on Pickwick Lake with a 24-pound, 2-ounce limit. For his efforts, Holley walked away with over $6,400 in prize money.
June 21, 2014 • MLF • Archives

FLORENCE, Ala. – Currey Holley of Pulaski, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 24 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the fourth Walmart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division tournament of 2014 on Pickwick Lake. For his victory, Holley earned $6,466.

Holley, a local who guides on Pickwick Lake, earned his win by eschewing the popular ledge bite in favor of a unique pattern he had been fishing for the two weeks leading up to the event.

“I stayed upriver,” said Holley. “I was trying to stay away from the crowds on the ledges. I basically fished from Cane Creek up to the dam. There was a lot less fishing pressure up there.

“I fished shallow most of the time,” Holley continued. “Most of my fish came from less than six feet. I was using the current. I fished a lot of points and eddies around breaks in the bluffs.

“It looked good at the end of the day, but I wasn’t catching them all day,” explained Holley. “I probably caught around 20 fish all day long, but I had spells in between without a bite. My fish usually came in flurries when I would hit the right spot while they were feeding.

“I felt good going into it because I thought I had figured out something different,” finished Holley. “It felt great to win.”

Holley said he caught most of his fish on a shad-colored 6-inch swimbait and a green-pumpkin-colored 3/8-ounce homemade football jig.

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2nd: David Allen, Florence, Ala., five bass, 21-0, $1,733

3rd: Will Yelverton, Hazel Green, Ala., five bass, 20-7, $1,155 + $300 Evinrude Bonus

4th: James Byrd, Florence, Ala., five bass, 20-6, $809

5th: Kevin Wright, Waterloo, Ala., five bass, 18-13, $693

6th: Dustin Berryman, Russellville, Ala., five bass, 18-8, $635

7th: Alan Langford, Tupelo, Miss., five bass, 18-4, $578

8th: Jeremy Stutts, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 18-1, $520

9th: Danny Shell, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 17-8, $462

10th: Ronnie Robinson, Hackleburg, Ala., five bass, 17-6, $404

Complete results can be found here.

Bowdre wins co-angler division

Co-angler John Bowdre of Hernando, Miss., won the June 21 Choo Choo Division event on Pickwick Lake with a 22-pound, 9-ounce limit. Bowdre earned a check worth over $1,700 for his efforts.John Bowdre of Hernando, Miss., weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win $1,733 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: B.J. Balentine, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 21-9, $866

3rd: Austin Weaver, Sheffield, Ala., five bass, 19-7, $577

4th: Chris Patterson, Kimberly, Ala., five bass, 16-12, $404

5th: Kaleb Butler, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 16-11, $347

6th: Thomas White, Iron City, Tenn., five bass, 16-4, $318

7th: John Wilkerson, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 15-11, $289

8th: Lake Blasingame, Killen, Ala., five bass, 14-15, $260

9th: J.R. Boatright Jr., Trafford, Ala., five bass, 14-9, $231

10th: Steven Dabbs, Boaz, Ala., five bass, 14-0, $202

Complete co-angler results can be found here.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 2-4 Regional Championship on the St. John’s River in Palatka, Fla. 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.