BYRDSTOWN, Tenn. (March 12, 2018) – Boater Rod Huff of Monterey, Tennessee, caught five bass Saturday weighing a total of 19 pounds, 5 ounces, to take top honors at the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Music Division tournament on Dale Hollow Lake. Huff earned $6,586 for his win.
“I basically fished the last deep water before spawning flats,” said Huff, who logged his first career win in FLW competition. “The water was stained, and I probably had 30 to 35 different stops – all mid-lake.”
Huff said he rotated between a variety of lures during the tournament, but caught his limit using a ½-ounce green-pumpkin-colored Zorro Baits Booza Bug Jig and a Zorro Baits Swim Jig with green-pumpkin Strike King Rage Craw trailers.
“The areas had rocks, and most of the fish were caught in 2 to 8 feet of water,” said Huff. “Sometimes I casted all the way to the bank and worked the lure back, and sometimes I made short casts.”
Huff said he caught seven keepers throughout the day, culling out two fish to complete his 19-pound limit.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Rod Huff, Monterey, Tenn., five bass, 19-5, $4,586 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Robert Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 16-9, $1,693
3rd: Dylan Wright, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 16-1, $1,129
4th: Tony Eckler, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 15-10, $790
5th: Bennie Mutter, Glasgow, Ky., five bass, 15-5, $649
5th: Aaron Bidarian, Lexington, Ky., five bass, 15-5, $649
7th: J.R. Stalcup, Albany, Ky., five bass, 14-11, $564
8th: Chris Holland, Winchester, Tenn., five bass, 14-10, $508
9th: Michael Kennedy, Monroe, Tenn., four bass, 14-7, $551
10th: Josh Tramel, Smithville, Tenn., five bass, 14-2, $395
Jason White of Sparta, Tennessee, weighed a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $425. Mike Morrison of Prestonsburg, Kentucky, won the Co-angler Division and $1,693 Saturday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 12 pounds, 12 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Mike Morrison, Prestonsburg, Ky., five bass, 12-12, $1,693
2nd: Brian Reed, Cookeville, Tenn., four bass, 12-4, $846
3rd: Bryan Brinson, Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass, 12-0, $564
4th: Darren Kelly, Wartburg, Tenn., three bass, 11-14, $807
5th: Brandon Eden, Hartsville, Tenn., four bass, 10-15, $339
6th: Nathan Adams, House Springs, Mo., three bass, 8-5, $360
7th: William Woods, Bowling Green, Ky., three bass, 6-10, $282
8th: Devin Bargatze, Nashville, Tenn., two bass, 6-9, $240
8th: Donnie Rubel, Murfreesboro, Tenn., three bass, 6-9, $240
10th: Brandon Taylor, Russellville, Ky., two bass, 6-4, $198
Kelly caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division weighing in at 5-pounds, 8-ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $212.