BFL Co-Anglers Win Polaris ATVs
Yelton, Thornburg earned prizes worth more than $7,700
Jacob Yelton and Richard Thornburg, both of whom fished as co-anglers in the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League this season, are each proud recipients of a brand new Polaris Sportsman 570 EPS ATV as winners of the Polaris Sportsman Giveaway.
This year, FLW teamed up with its partners at Polaris to give away a pair of ATVs, each valued at approximately $7,799. An entry to win one of the ATVs was included with every BFL boater or co-angler tournament entry throughout the season – another perk for competing in FLW’s grassroots tournament circuit. Contestants registered to win the other ATV at FLW tournaments and online at FLWFishing.com throughout the 2019 tournament season.
Yelton, who hails from Christianburg, Va., fished as a co-angler in the BFL Piedmont Division in both 2018 and 2019, and was the BFL entry winner in this year’s Polaris Sportsman Giveaway. He’s getting a feel for tournament fishing from the back of the boat, which the 21-year-old says is invaluable experience for when he ultimately decides to switch to the boater side.
“I’ve had a really good time fishing these tournaments. It’s good people to be around,” he says. “I’ve been river fishing but never lake fishing like how I’ve been fishing these tournaments. Being a co-angler really helps with these techniques and what’s successful and what’s not.”
Yelton is excited about reduced entry fees across FLW’s grassroots circuit in 2020, though maybe not as excited as he is about his new Polaris.
“It made my year,” he says. “I think that’s the coolest thing that’s probably ever happened to me in my life. It was a really unbelievable experience. I’m still kind of awestruck about the whole situation.”
Yelton plans to use the ATV to plow some driveways for extra money this winter and for riding around his 20-acre property.
Thornburg, who has fished his whole life but has just recently gotten into tournament fishing, also found a lot of value in fishing the BFL Okie Division in 2019. It was his first season in FLW’s grassroots ranks, and the 33-year-old who hails from Lindsay, Okla., hasn’t gotten his fill yet. He intends to again fish the BFL this season as well as a couple tournaments in the FLW Series.
Thornburg also expects to switch to the boater side at some point in the near future.
“The co-angler program is terrific for getting more of the tournament experience, but I just want to go fishing more of my own style,” he says. “I just kind of want to go to where I’m making my own destiny.”
The online entry form winner of the Polaris Sportsman Giveaway, Thornburg almost didn’t believe it when he got the email from FLW informing him he’d won a new ATV.
“I was really excited; my fiancée was too,” he says. “We live in the country. We have 140 acres. It’ll allow me to do all the riding I want to do.”
That riding includes hunting and pond-hopping on his land.
“I’m fixing to start doing some farming out there on that property, and also hunting,” he adds. “I’ve also got about 20 ponds out there next to my property and the property right down the street that I’ll be taking that back and forth to.”