MADISON, Ga. – John Duvall of Madison, Ga., weighed a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 32 pounds, 7 ounces to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division Super Tournament on Lake Oconee Sunday. For his victory, Duvall earned $5,387.
“I was just fishing history,” said Duvall. “I was throwing a frog and a jig around docks that were in super-shallow water.
“I caught eight keepers on Saturday and only five on Sunday,” continued Duvall. “I didn’t catch my fifth fish until about 10 minutes before I had to check in. I had other opportunities to catch one, but I guess the good Lord just wanted to make me sweat.
“When I got to the weigh-in I was worried, but when I saw that David Lowery didn’t have a good day I felt like I might win it,” said Duvall. “I’ve earned checks before, but it feels great to get my first win. I don’t have a great record at Oconee, but it is really special to get the win on my home lake.”
Duvall said he caught all of his fish on a hand-tied black and blue-colored jig and a black Spro Dean Rojas Bronzeye Frog 65.
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: Mark Holloway, Madison, Ga., nine bass, 24-2, $2,694
3rd: David Lowery, Phenix City, Ala., eight bass, 23-11, $1,795
4th: Kip Carter, Loganville, Ga., 10 bass, 22-11, $1,257
5th: Ryan Horton, Palmetto, Ga., eight bass, 22-10, $1,077
6th: Buster Slocumb, Juliette, Ga., eight bass, 22-7, $988
7th: Mike Cleveland, Monticello, Ga., 10 bass, 20-15, $898
8th: Mark Svendsen, Doraville, Ga., nine bass, 20-2, $808
9th: Allen Armour, Cumming, Ga., nine bass, 18-6, $718
10th: Scott Hayes, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 17-15, $628
Complete results can be found by clicking here.
Wilder wins co-angler title
Michael Wilder of Macon, Ga., weighed in a two-day total of nine bass totaling 22 pounds even to win $2,694 in the co-angler division Sunday.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Garrett Stone, Atlanta, Ga., six bass, 15-8, $1,347
3rd: John Jarecki, Elberton, Ga., six bass, 14-5, $899
4th: Alphonso Taylor, Kennesaw, Ga., five bass, 13-4, $628
5th: Stephen Waldon, Ellenwood, Ga., three bass, 11-15, $539
6th: Jeff Grubbs, Palmetto, Ga., four bass, 11-12, $494
7th: Daniel Buswell, Fayetteville, Ga., four bass, 11-4, $449
8th: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., four bass, 10-11, $404
9th: Matthew O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., five bass, 10-9, $359
10th: Nicholas Franks, Sharpsburg, Ga., four bass, 9-2, $314
Complete co-angler results can be found by clicking 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.