Scottsville, Ky. (June 29, 2009) - Michael Bean of Bowling Green, Ky., won the Bass Fishing League Mountain Division bass fishing tournament on the Barren River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 20 pounds, 11 ounces. The victory earned Bean $3,794 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Lake Norman Regional Championship in Lake Norman, N.C., Oct. 22-24, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
"I knew it would take at least 20 pounds to win and at the time I weighed in my fish I didn't think I had it," said Bean, after winning his first BFL tournament. "I stayed and watched the rest of the tournament in the shade sitting on pins and needles."
Bean had his limit by 8:15 a.m. "The first limit I had came from back in a creek fishing a stump row off of a point with a Carolina rig. I culled two more times on the main lake fishing points with a DD22 Root Beer crankbait. And that's all the fish I had for the day."
Rounding out the top five boaters are Gary Morrison of Scottsville, Ky. (five bass, 17-12, $1,897); Brad Roberts of Nancy, Ky. (five bass, 17-11, $1,265); Talmadge Marcum of McKee, Ky. and Kevin Snider of Elizabethtown, Ky. tied for fourth (five bass, 17-10, $822).
Bean took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $495 for a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass he caught.
William Masters of Berea, Ky., earned $1,897 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces that he caught.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Christopher Davis of Berea, Ky. (five bass, 14-14, $949); Lucas Devere of Berea, Ky. (five bass, 14-11, $633); Tyler Moberly of Berea, Ky. (five bass, 13-13, $443); and Gerald Williams of Scottsville, Ky. (five bass, 13-12, $379).
Derek Kantosky earned $247 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass.
The next Mountain Division event will be the Super Tournament held on the Lake Cherokee in Morristown, Tenn., Sept. 19-20.