Bryan Slows Down for Chickamauga Win

Seese claims co-angler title

HIXSON, Tenn. – Burton Bryan of Sevierville, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Chickamauga. For his victory, Bryan earned $4,046.

“I just went out there and stuck to my strategy and it ended up working well,” said Bryan.

Bryan spent his day fishing the mouths of creeks where bass were moving into shallow waters to spawn. He said that all of his fish were caught in less than 5 feet of water.

“I was targeting slick banks that no one had touched yet,” said Bryan. “A lot of the anglers had been practicing on the lake for three or four days, so I really wanted to find an area that wasn’t worked over.

“I picked a green pumpkin-colored Yum F2 Dinger and on the second cast I caught a 4-pounder,” said Bryan. “After that I noticed the fish were finicky and not biting like they should be so I switched to a wacky rig.

“My strategy was to take it slow. It’s all about the slow presentation,” continued Bryan. “Just throw the worm out, let it sit, drag it four inches, and then let it sit again. After a while it would take off and start swimming sideways.

“I ended up catching a ton of fish but only had about nine keepers,” said Bryan. “I guess they were the right ones.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Burton Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 15-9, $4,046

2^nd:         Rogne Brown, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 14-6, $2,023

3^rd:          Wes Tilley, Andersonville, Tenn., three bass, 14-1, $1,348

4^th:          Shawn Strader, Rockwood, Tenn., four bass, 13-11, $944

5^th:          Michael Johnson, Gray, Tenn., four bass, 13-0, $809

6^th:          Brandon Roop, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 12-4, $742

7^th:          Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 12-3, $674

8^th:          Dale Pelfrey, Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 10-11, $607

9^th:          Perry Dawson, Spring City, Tenn., four bass, 10-9, $539

10^th:        Kevin McKamey, Clinton, Tenn., three bass, 10-6, $472              

Complete results can be found here.  

Strader caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $555.

Seese wins co-angler division

Chris Seese of Lenoir City, Tennessee, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win $2,023 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Chris Seese, Lenoir City, Tenn., five bass, 15-7, $2,023

2^nd:         Jason Lake, Barbourville, Ky., five bass, 15-0, $1,011

3^rd:          Michael King, Bristol, Va., five bass, 13- 3, $674

4^th:          Donnie Holder, Mooresburg, Tenn., three bass, 6-13, $472

5^th:          Josh Osborne, Bristol, Va., three bass, 6-7, $405

6^th:          Justin McGaha, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 6-3, $371

7^th:          Patrick McClenahan, Chattanooga, Tenn., one bass, 5-15, $337

8^th:          Nick Coker, Knoxville, Tenn., two bass, 5-14, $303

9^th:          Jon Saylor, Johnson City, Tenn., three bass, 5-11, $270

10^th:        Dustin Dyer, Knoxville, Tenn., two bass, 5-10, $236

McClenahan caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $277.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Lake Wateree in Camden, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.