THOMSON, Ga. - Boater Craig Johnson of Martinez earned $4,631 Saturday as winner of the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division bass fishing tournament on Clarks Hill Lake. The tournament was the second of five regular-season Bulldog Division events and featured 181 boaters vying for the win, which earned Johnson 200 points in the Boater Division.
Johnson's winning catch of five bass weighed 18 pounds, 6 ounces, and he caught them on a Spot Remover in clear water. This is his third career BFL victory.
Finishing second was Terry Stevens of Marianna, Fla., with five bass weighing 17 pounds, 13 ounces that earned him $2,316. Jim Murray Jr. of Arabi claimed $1,575 as the third-place finisher thanks to five bass weighing 16 pounds, 8 ounces. In fourth was Kip Carter of Oxford with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 10 ounces worth $1,204, and finishing fifth and earning $1,019 was William Fortner of Jasper with five bass weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces.
Carter earned $500 from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. Tony King of Macon took Boater Division big-bass award honors, earning $905 for a 6-pound bass. He caught his big bass on a Senko.
Hank Geylin of Columbus bested 177 Co-angler Division competitors to earn $2,285 as the co-angler winner, thanks to five bass weighing 10 pounds, 2 ounces that he caught on a green pumpkin Zoom lizard.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Kevin Giddens of Moultrie (five bass, 9 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,142); Jon Garrett of Tifton (five bass, 9 pounds, 14 ounces, $777); James Burns of Gainesville (four bass, 8 pounds, 11 ounces, $594); and Thomas Ray of Manchester (four bass, 8 pounds, 8 ounces, $503).
Thomas Cox of Canton earned $443 as the co-angler big-bass award winner with a 3-pound, 10-ounce bass.
The Bulldog Division's next event will be held May 15 on Lake Oconee near Buckhead, followed by an event on West Point Lake in Lanett, Ala., June 26. The Bulldog Division will wrap up its regular season Oct. 2-3 with a two-day Super Tournament on Lake Eufaula near Eufaula, Ala.