Pickett Found the Right Four

Thomas wins co-angler title on Lake Monroe

James Pickett of Trafalgar, Indiana, weighed four bass totaling 14 pounds, 4 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Hoosier Division tournament on Lake Monroe presented by Navionics. For his victory, Pickett earned $4,009.

Pickett targeted spawning bass in two different areas throughout his day. He says he caught each of the four fish he brought to the scale on a Texas-rigged Indiana Craw-colored Hawgback Tube.

“My first area was a 200-yard stretch of bank near Crooked Creek,” says Picket, who earned the first win of his FLW career. “The bass were spawning next to laydowns on the bank in ditches. I caught my first keeper within 30 minutes, and another one soon after. After that I ran east and hit another stretch with similar cover. After 20 minutes, I caught my final two big ones.”

Picket says the technique he used to position his bait in the cover was what helped him catch his winning limit.

“They key to my success was casting at the correct angle,” says Pickett. “You needed to run the bait down the laydown because they were spawning right next to it. They didn’t want it shook or snapped, so I let it lay there. When the time came to move it, I just pulled it along the bottom.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          James Pickett, Trafalgar, Ind., four bass, 14-4, $4,009

2^nd:         Terry Dillon, Danville, Ind., four bass, 12-0, $2,005

3^rd:          Nick Uebelhor, Jasper, Ind., five bass, 11-14, $1,336

4^th:          Eric Moore, Hamilton, Ohio, four bass, 9-5, $935

5^th:          Kyle Weisenburger, Ottawa, Ohio, three bass, 9-0, $802

6^th:          Scott Bateman, Jasper, Ind., three bass, 8-15, $735

7^th:          Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., three bass, 8-6, $668

8^th:          Chris Abrell, Terre Haute, Ind., four bass, 8-4, $601

9^th:          Roger Hahn, Fairfield, Ohio, two bass, 7-9, $535

10^th:        Travis Feuerbach, Bloomington, Ind., three bass, 7-8, $468

Complete results can be found here.  

Calvin Davidson of Plainfield, Indiana, caught a 6-pound, 15-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $550.

Thomas wins co-angler title

John Thomas of Quincy, Indiana, weighed in three bass totaling 7 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,005.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          John Thomas, Quincy, Ind., three bass, 7-10, $2,005

2^nd:         Billy French, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 6-11, $1,002

3^rd:          Scott Standafer, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 6-9, $668

4^th:          Chandler Fleetwood, Vallonia, Ind., three bass, 6-7, $468

5^th:          Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, three bass, 5-4, $401

6^th:          Scottie Davis, Martinsville, Ind., two bass, 4-15, $351

6^th:          Jared Robinson, Vallonia, Ind., two bass, 4-15, $351

8^th:          Kris Looney, Indianapolis, Ind., one bass, 4-13, $576

9^th:          Phill Parker, Bedford, Ind., one bass, 4-7, $250

9^th:          Cory Cook, Carrollton, Ky., two bass, 4-7, $250

Looney caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 13 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $275.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. 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.