Spinnerbait Puts Barga On Top

Futch wins co-angler title in LBL Super Tournament

Stephen Barga of Benton, Kentucky, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 6 ounces, Sunday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) LBL Division Super Tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 40 pounds, 2 ounces. For his win, Barga pocketed $7,717.

Barga says he spent the event focusing on wood, stumps and brush piles in the Jonathan Creek area.

“I had two key stretches that I ran between each day of the tournament,” says Barga, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “One was about 50 yards long, and the other was a 30-foot stake bed. The stake bed ended up being very valuable. I caught a key bass off of it each day.”

Barga used a chartreuse and white-colored War Eagle Spinnerbait to catch nearly 15 keepers over the two-day event.

“I just slow-rolled the War Eagle and caught five keepers on day one,” said Barga. “Most of my fish were about six feet down. On day two, I followed the same pattern from Saturday and had every fish that I weighed in by 8 a.m.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Stephen Barga, Benton, Ky., 10 bass, 40-2, $5,717 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd:         Matt Robertson, Central City, Ky., 10 bass, 35-4, $2,759

3^rd:          Josh Malone, Alma, Ill., 10 bass, 29-10, $1,839

4^th:          Tim Smiley, White Pine, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-4, $1,587

5^th:          Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-5, $1,103

6^th:          Billy Schroeder, Paducah, Ky., eight bass, 28-2, $1,012

7^th:          Scott Patton, Paris, Tenn., eight bass, 26-9, $920

8^th:          Dan Morehead, Paducah, Ky., nine bass, 23-15, $828

9^th:          Gerald Andrews, Benton, Ky., nine bass, 23-12, $736

10^th:        Sam Boss, Paducah, Ky., eight bass, 23-5, $644

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com. 

Edward Gettys of Paris, Tennessee, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the Boater Big Bass award of $720.

Futch wins co-angler title

Brian Futch of Vienna, Illinois, won the co-angler division and earned $2,759 with a two-day cumulative catch of six bass weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Brian Futch, Vienna, Ill., six bass, 20-6, $2,759

2^nd:         Ricky Boehringer, Troy, Ohio, seven bass, 17-1, $1,479

3^rd:          Danny Nicklin, Highland, Ill., eight bass, 16-15, $919

4^th:          Thomas  White, Iron City, Tenn., five bass, 16-7, $694

5^th:          Jeff Scrimager, Mattoon, Ill., five bass, 15-11, $552

6^th:          Jesse Gustafson, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 15-7, $506

7^th:          Kevin Teitsort, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 14-14, $460

8^th:          Danny Robinson, Fairland, Ind., five bass, 14-6, $414

9^th:          Michael Luce, Ledbetter, Ky., four bass, 14-3, $728

10^th:        Billy Watson, Murfreesboro, Tenn., six bass, 14-3, $322

Luce caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $360.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Sept. 29 – Oct. 1 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.