Tucker Wins UMF Invitational

Alabama angler tops BFL qualifying event, will square off against FLW, B.A.S.S. pros in televised UMF showdown

Terry Tucker of Gadsden, Ala., won the inaugural Ultimate Match Fishing Invitational fishing tournament held May 27-28 on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tenn. The field, consisting of the top T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League anglers in the nation, competed in a standard tournament format on day one with the day’s top two finishers competing head-to-head on day two under Ultimate Match Fishing rules. The top prize was $20,000 and a chance to fish against the top FLW Tour and B.A.S.S. Elite Series pro anglers in Ultimate Match Fishing on Outdoor Channel in 2018.

Jimmy Washam of Covington, Tenn., led the way on day one with a five-fish limit of 21.61 pounds, followed by Tucker with a five-fish limit of 21.36 pounds.

Full results available here.

On day two, Washam and Tucker competed head-to-head out of the UMF Evinrude-powered Ranger competition boat. For four grueling 90-minute quarters, they battled under the watchful eye of UMF Referee Mark Randolph with UMF hosts Fish Fishburne and Joe Thomas calling the play-by-play. In the end, Tucker overcame 2 pounds of penalties to narrowly edge Washam by just over a pound. Both anglers had five-fish limits, with Tucker’s weighing 11.03 pounds after penalties to Washam's 10.02 pounds. The entire match will air later this year exclusively on Outdoor Channel's streaming site, myoutdoortv.com.

“Win or lose, it just meant a lot to me to know that I could still do it, that even after what I’ve been through I could still compete against these young guys,” said an obviously emotional Tucker, who admitted to dealing with some physical challenges in recent years.