Cranston's Comeback to the Winner's Circle - Major League Fishing

Cranston’s Comeback to the Winner’s Circle

Massey wins co-angler title on Lake Ouachita
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Will Cranston of North Little Rock, Ark., won the Sept. 20-21 Arkie Division Super Tournament on Lake Ouachita with a two-day total weight of 17 pounds, 11 ounces. He was awarded over $4,600 for his efforts.
September 21, 2014 • MLF • Archives

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Will Cranston of North Little Rock, Ark., weighed a two-day total of eight bass totaling 17 pounds, 11 ounces to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division Super Tournament on Lake Ouachita Sunday. For his victory, Cranston earned $4,668.

“It was a tough tournament,” said Cranston, who failed to bring in a five-bass limit on day two, after landing the tournament Big Bass on the first day. I caught five fish on Saturday. I caught one early, on a hump with a prop bait, and I caught three on a frog in the back of a creek with some matted grass. Then, late in the day, I caught a spotted bass on a hump on a walking bait.

“The second day I went back to the grass and I caught two keepers in there,” continued Cranston. “Then I went back to where I caught the spotted bass and caught one more there, and that was it.

“Heading back to weigh in, I was sure I had had fallen to fifth or worse,” said Cranston. “I had no idea that I would do this good. I just got back into the BFL circuit after 14 years. I thought I could do well, and it feels really great to win.”

Cranston said he caught fish on a Paycheck Baits Repo Man, a Paycheck Baits Repo Man Late Payment, a Spro Bronzeye Poppin’ Frog and an Ima HeliPs prop bait.

Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

                2nd:          Spencer Grace, Russellville, Ark., 10 bass, 17-3, $2,334
                3rd:          Zach King, Clarksville, Ark., 10 bass, 16-14, $1,557
                4th:           Michael Yoder, Texarkana, Ark., nine bass, 15-3, $1,089
                5th:           Justin Swayze, Gurdon, Ark., nine bass, 14-4, $934
                6th:           Kevin Hartman, Greenbrier, Ark., 10 bass, 14-2, $856
                7th:           Darby Stiles, Hot Springs, Ark., seven bass, 13-10, $778
                8th:           Spencer Shuffield, Bismarck, Ark., nine bass, 13-8, $700
                9th:           Russell Richmond, Little Rock, Ark., six bass, 13-7, $622
                10th:        Quincy Houchin, Mabelvale, Ark., six bass, 13-4, $545

Complete results can be found here.

Co-angler Michael Massey of Amity, Ark., won the Sept. 20-21 Arkie Division Super Tournament on Lake Ouachita with a two-day total weight of 13 pounds, 7 ounces. Massey took home over $2,300 in winnings for his efforts.

Michael Massey of Amity, Ark., weighed in a two-day total of nine bass totaling 13 pounds, 7 ounces to win $2,334 in the co-angler division Sunday.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

                2nd:          Johnny Manning, Arkadelphia, Ark., six bass, 12-0, $1,167
                3rd:          Jeff Reece, Dardanelle, Ark., five bass, 9-6, $779
                4th:           John McCullar, Benton, Ark., six bass, 8-13, $545
                5th:           Brandon Baltz, Walnut Ridge, Ark., six bass, 8-11, $467
                6th:           Baylee Linker, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 7-5, $428
                7th:           Justin Snow, Nash, Texas, five bass, 6-8, $389
                8th:           Nathan Hall, Sheridan, Ark., three bass, 5-9, $350
                9th:           Tabitha Lancaster, Arkadelphia, Ark., three bass, 5-3, $311
                10th:        Ladd Owens, Hope, Ark., four bass, 5-3, $272

Complete results can be found here.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 16-18 Regional Championship on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Jasper, Texas. 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.