HIXSON, Tenn. (Sept. 19, 2016) – FLW Tour pro Alex Davis of Albertville, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 11 pounds, 10 ounces, Sunday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Volunteer Division Super Tournament on Lake Chickamauga, with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 28 pounds, 6 ounces. For his victory, Davis earned $8,006.
“I spent the tournament targeting smaller, isolated grass mats on the lower end of the lake,” said Davis, who earned his third win in FLW competition. “In the fall, on a grass lake, you’re going to win by either flipping, punching or throwing a frog, and that’s what I did.
“On Saturday, I caught four keepers by 9 a.m. on a Bluegill-colored Jackall Iobee Frog out of a 40- by 40-yard mat,” Davis continued. “After that, I caught my fifth punching a mat with a black-and-blue Jackall Archelon. I probably had 15 pounds by noon.”
Davis said he made the same milk run on Sunday, using the same baits on the lower end of the lake.
“I caught a keeper on the Iobee, and then two more from a punching spot with the Archelon,” said Davis. “By 1:30 p.m., I only had four in the boat and a storm was on the way. I decided to run back to my frogging area for one more chance. I threw out the Iobee and a fish blew up on it. That was my fifth, and I headed into the scales.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 28-6, $6,006 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Nick Huff, Corbin, Ky., nine bass, 23-3, $2,503
3rd: Buddy Gross, Ringgold, Ga., eight bass, 21-3, $1,603
4th: Steve Barnes, Harrison, Tenn., nine bass, 19-6, $1,121
5th: Adam Johnston, Loudon, Tenn., four bass, 18-2, $1,538
6th: Brad Napier, Harts, W. Va., eight bass, 16-5, $1,181
7th: Burton Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 15-7, $801
8th: Dean Iles, Knoxville, Tenn., six bass, 14-5, $721
9th: Norm Attaway, Clearwater, S.C., four bass, 13-3, $641
10th: Matthew Rock, Crossville, Tenn., five bass, 12-6, $561
Johnston caught a bass weighing 9 pounds, 8 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the Boater Big Bass award of $577. Jerry Neuner of Rutherfordton, North Carolina, won the co-angler division and earned $2,403 with a two-day cumulative catch of six bass weighing 10 pounds, 9 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jerry Neuner, Rutherfordton, N.C., six bass, 10-9, $2,403
2nd: Ted Ridley, Maryville, Tenn., three bass, 9-13, $1,491
3rd: Tony Brown, Harriman, Tenn., four bass, 8-15, $801
4th: Don Bible, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 8-2, $561
5th: Chris Darby, Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 7-4, $581
6th: Stacey Newberry, Maryville, Tenn., three bass, 6-14, $441
7th: Wayne Musick, Lebanon, Va., two bass, 6-5, $401
8th: Joseph Renfro, Kingsport, Tenn., three bass, 6-1, $360
9th: Randall Hillyer, Summerville, S.C., two bass, 6-0, $370
10th: Dennis Lewis, Powell, Tenn., two bass, 5-9, $280
Ridley caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $289.