SHREVEPORT, La. (June 1, 2018) – Local boater Randy Deaver of Blanchard, Louisiana, grabbed the lead at the 35th annual Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American tournament on Cross Lake Friday with five bass weighing 25 pounds, 3 ounces, bringing his two-day cumulative total to 10 bass weighing 46-3. Deaver will begin the final day of competition with a 3-pound, 10-ounce, advantage over Day One leader and good friend Nick LeBrun of Bossier City, Louisiana, who has a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 42-9.
“I basically have a couple of different deals going on out there – running cypress trees and docks,” said Deaver, who is fishing in his first career BFL All-American. “Tomorrow I may go to some offshore stuff that I found late in the day today, but that’s pretty much it. I am winding a little bit, but the main thing I’m doing is flipping.”
Deaver said he fished specific areas of cypress trees on the west end of the lake, and key stretches of trees and docks on the main lake.
“This morning I went to some areas that I fished yesterday and had a couple of key bites,” said Deaver. “I lost one that was probably a 4-plus pounder. I came back an hour later and I’m pretty sure she bit again, but I lost her. I moved along and a few minutes later, in the same tree I caught a 5-pounder yesterday, I caught a big one to get the day started.”
Deaver said his day was highlighted by the fact that he was able to apply tactics he discovered late Thursday.
“I was in one of my key areas and did something that I figured out yesterday and caught one that was about 5¾ pounds around 12:30 (p.m.). That was a confidence builder,” said Deaver.
Deaver said he caught eight keepers Friday, adding that his bite seems to be dependent on weather conditions – an important factor heading into Championship Saturday.
“I need the sun to shine,” said Deaver. “It was pretty cloudy this morning, and I don’t think the fish are positioned right until the sun comes out and it gets hot.
“I’ve got some stuff that I’ve been saving that I’m going to try and run tomorrow. Hopefully, Lord willing, I can get a decent limit before I go try to do some stuff that’s a little unique for here.”
The top 10 boaters advancing to the final day of competition on Cross Lake are:
1st: Randy Deaver, Blanchard, La., 10 bass, 46-3
2nd: Nick LeBrun, Bossier City, La., 10 bass, 42-9
3rd: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 39-10
4th: Rob Jordan, Flowery Branch, Ga., 10 bass, 38-5
5th: Adam Wagner, Cookeville, Tenn., 10 bass, 38-1
6th: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., 10 bass, 37-9
7th: John Duvall, Madison, Ga., 10 bass, 35-6
8th: Marty Sisk, Evansville, Ind., 10 bass, 33-11
9th: Heath Pack, Ellijay, Ga., 10 bass, 33-1
10th: Ben Blaschke, Muldrow, Okla., 10 bass, 32-7
Overall there were 200 bass weighing 562 pounds, 4 ounces, caught by 48 boaters Friday. The catch included 29 five-bass limits. Jesse Parks of Avondale, Arizona, held the lead in the Co-angler Division Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 26 pounds, 4 ounces, followed by Mike Allen of Crystal Springs, Mississippi, in second place with 10 bass weighing 25-12.
The final 10 co-anglers are:
1st: Jesse Parks, Avondale, Ariz., 10 bass, 26-4
2nd: Mike Allen, Crystal Springs, Miss., 10 bass, 25-12
3rd: Matthew Bouldin, Smithville, Tenn., 10 bass, 21-1
4th: Michael Nelms, Hartwood, Va., seven bass, 20-5
5th: James McWhorter, Hamilton, Ohio, six bass, 19-11
6th: Daniel Tuten, Byron, Ga., seven bass, 19-4
7th: Ray Blash, Waynesville, Mo., eight bass, 18-4
8th: Matthew O’Connell, Brooks, Ga., eight bass, 18-2
9th: Hernandez Ruffin, Bellevue, Wash., six bass, 17-6
10th: Brandon Brock, Honea Path, S.C., seven bass, 17-6
Overall there were 109 bass weighing 250 pounds, 9 ounces caught by 40 Co-anglers Friday. The catch included four five-bass limits.
The final 10 boaters and co-anglers will take off Saturday from the American Legion Hall ramp, located at 5315 S. Lakeshore Drive in Shreveport, at 7 a.m. CDT. Saturday’s Championship weigh-in will be held at the Bass Pro Shops, located at 100 Bass Pro Drive in Bossier City, Louisiana, and will begin at 4 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.