BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (March 13, 2017) – Local angler Robert Reagan of Byrdstown weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mountain Division tournament on Dale Hollow Lake. For his win, Reagan was awarded $7,298.
“I started off the day throwing a green-pumpkin-colored custom jig,” said Reagan, who earned his third career-win on Dale Hollow Lake in BFL competition. “I focused on mid-lake transition banks that had chunk rock. I caught a smallmouth and two largemouth bass before the wind really picked up.”
Reagan said that around 9:30 a.m. he switched to a ½-ounce Strike King spinnerbait. He said he continued running chunk rock banks and was up able to catch three more largemouth.
“I was sitting in 25 to 30 feet of water, but the bass were up shallower,” said Reagan. “They were stationed where the bluff walls turned into flats. I worked the lures to about 4 to 8 feet, which seemed to be the magic depth.”
Reagan said his heaviest catches came toward the end of the day.
“I finished off my day with the jig in more stained water,” said Reagan. “I put my two biggest bass in the boat by 1 p.m., which was a great way to wrap things up.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Robert Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 20-7, $5,298 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Brett Graham, Cold Spring, Ky., five bass, 19-8, $2,509
3rd: Dwight Fox, Gainesboro, Tenn., five bass, 18-8, $1,639
4th: Barry Smith, Catlettsburgh, Ky., five bass, 18-4, $1,078
5th: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 17-12, $924
6th: Michael Frank, Cassopolis, Mich., five bass, 16-11, $847
7th: Jimmy Gayhart, Sadieville, Ky., five bass, 16-0, $731
7th: Talmadge Marcum, McKee, Ky., five bass, 16-0, $731
9th: Jonathan Green, East Bernstadt, Ky., five bass, 15-11, $616
10th: Keith Monson, Burgin, Ky., five bass, 15-7, $539
One of Reagan’s bass – a 5-pound, 14-ouncer – was the heaviest weighed in at the event. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $680. Dustin Jones of Stanford, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division title and $2,309 with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 4 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Dustin Jones, Stanford, Ky., five bass, 15-4, $2,309
2nd: Greg Trobaugh, Rickman, Tenn., four bass, 13-12, $1,255
3rd: Ed Bennington, Scottsville, Ky., four bass, 13-0, $770
4th: Eddie Johnson, Jamestown, Tenn., five bass, 11-10, $539
5th: Robbie Welsh, Berea, Ky., three bass, 10-15, $802
6th: Alex Kerns, Middletown, Ohio, four bass, 10-10, $423
7th: Travis Parrott, Byrdstown, Tenn., three bass, 10-9, $435
8th: Matthew Smith, Richmond, Ky., four bass, 10-7, $346
9th: Jason Ratcliff, Eubank, Ky., four bass, 10-6, $308
10th: Jordan Scales, Murray, Ky., four bass, 10-0, $269
Welsh caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $340.