Wooten’s Dock Pattern Pays Off
Burdette wins co-angler title on Smith Moutain
HUDDLESTON, Va. – Thomas Wooten of Huddleston, Va., weighed a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 28 pounds, 12 ounces to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division Super Tournament on Smith Mountain Lake Sunday. For his victory, Wooten earned $5,004.
“Saturday and Sunday were pretty much the same,” said Wooten. “The only difference was that I didn’t catch nearly as many fish on day two.
“I was fishing shallow around docks,” Wooten explained. “A lot of the docks that I fished had a good rock seam close to them. I caught a few on topwater early in the morning, and then as the sun got up the fish started to push up under the docks and I would skip a Yamamoto Senko up to them.
“It felt good to win,” said Wooten. “This is the third BFL event I’ve won on Smith Mountain Lake, and it was on my little girl’s birthday, so it’s pretty special.”
Wooten said he caught fish on an unnamed topwater bait, a weightless Yamamoto Senko, a shaky-head rig and a jig.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Benjamin Reynolds, Callands, Va., eight bass, 27-10, $2,502
3rd: Brandon Reynolds, Callands, Va., 10 bass, 27-2, $1,666
4th: Luke Nichols, Moneta, Va., 10 bass, 26-6, $1,168
5th: Castrol pro Philip Jarabeck, Lynchburg, Va., nine bass, 23-0, $1,001 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
6th: Trevis Towe, Daleville, Va., 10 bass, 21-6, $917
7th: Chris Daves, Spring Grove, Va., 10 bass, 20-14, $834
8th: Ronnie Baker, Providence Forge, Va., 10 bass, 19-13, $751
9th: Josh Wagy, Dewitt, Va., nine bass, 19-10, $667
10th: Mike Hicks, Goochland, Va., six bass, 18-15, $584
Complete results can be found here.
Dennis Burdette of Lindside, W.Va., weighed in a two-day total of five bass totaling 13 pounds, 6 ounces to win $2,502 in the co-angler division Sunday.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Gregory Scott, Roanoke, Va., four bass, 13-0, $1,251
3rd: Dean Gibbs, Richmond, Va., four bass, 11-15, $834
4th: Jeff Tolliver, Bolt, W.Va., five bass, 11-10, $584
5th: David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., five bass, 11-5, $500
6th: Hunter Altice, Glade Hill, Va., four bass, 10-14, $459
7th: Richard Plemons, Virginia Beach, Va., four bass, 10-7, $417
8th: Terry Hebb, Staunton, Va., three bass, 9-1, $375
9th: Brad Melton, Manassas, Va., four bass, 8-15, $334
10th: Richard O’Brien, Stony Point, N.Y., two bass, 8-2, $292
Complete 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 James River in Richmond, Va. 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.