HULBERT, Okla. (June 28, 2004) - Boater Division competitor Blake Ellison of Inola earned $3,309 Saturday as winner of the Bass Fishing League Okie Division bass fishing tournament on Fort Gibson Lake in Hulbert. The tournament was the fourth of five regular-season Okie Division events. The regular season will wrap up Oct. 2-3 with a two-day Super Tournament on Grand Lake in Grove.
Ellison bested 111 Boater Division competitors with a five-bass catch weighing 14 pounds, 14 ounces. He caught his tournament-winning bass flipping a jig to rocky points midlake.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Gil Keener Jr. of Muskogee (five bass, 14 pounds, 8 ounces, $1,654); Andy Carroll of Fort Smith, Ark. (four bass, 11 pounds, 15 ounces, $1,125); Charles Lane of Cushing (five bass, 11 pounds, 1 ounce, $860); and Allen Head of Pryor (five bass, 10 pounds, 13 ounces, $728).
Carroll earned a $500 bonus from Ranger Boats as the highest-finishing participant in the Ranger Cup incentive program. Keener earned $555 as the Boater Division big-bass award winner with a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass that he caught on a black/neon tube.
Joel Jacobs of Oklahoma City won the 105-competitor Co-angler Division with a four-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 11 ounces. He caught his tournament-winning bass on a finesse jig and earned $1,600 for the win.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mark Leach of Bartlesville (three bass, 11 pounds, 1 ounce, $800); Brady Meador of Tulsa (three bass, 8 pounds, 13 ounces, $544); Jeff Peterson of Jay (three bass, 6 pounds, 13 ounces, $416); and Wade Garcia of Alma, Ark. (two bass, 6 pounds, 1 ounce, $352).
Randy Smith of Joplin, Mo., caught a 5-pound, 4-ounce bass to win Co-angler Division big-bass honors and $263. He caught his big bass on a spinnerbait.