BRISTOL, Tenn. – Joe Leonard of Bristol, Va., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Chickamauga. For his victory, Leonard earned $4,037.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
Boater Joe Leonard of Bristol, Va., parlayed a 25-pound, 2-ounce catch into a first-place title at the March 24 BFL Volunteer Division event at Lake Chickamauga.
2nd: Shane Sloan, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 19-9, $2,019
3rd: Michael Neal, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 19-4, $1,345
4th: Jonathan Henry, Grant, Ala., five bass, 18-15, $874
4th: Brian Holcomb, Madisonville, Tenn., five bass, 18-15, $874
6th: Josh Wofford, Ooltewah, Tenn., five bass, 18-14, $740
7th: Simon Borja, Maryville, Tenn., five bass, 18-10, $673
8th: Tim Hicks, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 18-8, $606
9th: Rich Wilson, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 18-1, $538
10th: Nathan Mountain, Rutledge, Tenn., five bass, 17-9, $471
Jimmy Flanagan of Kingston, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win $2,019 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Kenneth Palmer, Lenoir City, Tenn., five bass, 19-4, $1,009
3rd: Kelly Smith, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 16-12, $675
4th: Tyler Youngblood, Chattanooga, Tenn., five bass, 15-4, $471
5th: Bill Freshour, Strawplains, Tenn., five bass, 14-4, $404
6th: Brett Rodefer, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $370
7th: Stephen Wagner, Elizabethton, Tenn., four bass, 12-5, $336
8th: Bobby Drinnon, Rogersville, Tenn., three bass, 11-15, $303
9th: Randy Snyder, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 11-8, $269
10th: David Lorenz, Kingsport, Tenn., five bass, 11-4, $235
The next BFL Volunteer Division tournament is scheduled for April 21 on South Holston Reservoir in Bristol, Tenn. After the fifth Volunteer Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 18-20 Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for the BFL All-American. The 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the FLW Tour.