BRACEY, Va. – Jimmy Hayes of Fayetteville, N.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Shenandoah Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Gaston. For his victory, Hayes earned $4,584.
“I was fishing in the mid-lake area, below Eaton Ferry,” said Hayes. “I was doing a little sight-fishing, but it was hard due to a big pollen film and the all of the rain. I caught six fish on the day, and my 6-pound 14-ounce kicker came near the end of the day. I was Texas-rigging with a Reaction Innovations Kinky Beaver and Smallie Beaver. That was the only thing the fish would react to. I tried throwing a tube, a craw and a drop-shot rig with no luck. But when I threw that Kinky Beaver in there they jumped all over it.
“My main weapon in this tournament was my Power Poles,” Hayes continued. “Without them I would not have been able to set up on those fish. I stayed in about 3 feet of water all day, and was trying to find water as clear as possible, but it was really nasty.
“I’ve had a lot of stress on me these past few years,” said Hayes. “I forgot about all of that and just went fishing, and I think things are starting to look up. I’ll be fishing the entire Shenandoah circuit, and I look forward to competing in the next tournament.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
Boater Jimmy Hayes of Fayetteville, N.C., won the March 24 BFL Shenandoah Division event on Lake Gaston.
2nd: Ronnie Baker, Providence Forge, Va., five bass, 20-15, $2,292
3rd: Ryan Powroznik, Prince George, Va., five bass, 20-13, $1,529
4th: Tommy Little, Chester, Va., five bass, 18-14, $1,070
5th: Frank Poirier, Hopewell, Va., five bass, 18-9, $917
6th: Christopher Carmell, Moyock, N.C., five bass, 18-3, $802
6th: Bo Grosvenor, Forest, Va., five bass, 18-3, $802
8th: Michael Belter, Reidsville, N.C., five bass, 17-15, $688
9th: Richard Heath Jr., Rockville, Va., five bass, 17-10, $611
10th: Rich McWhirter, Bruington, Va., five bass, 17-1, $535
Ralph Taylor of Rockville, Va., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win $2,292 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Jeff White, Rhoadesville, Va., four bass, 15-2, $1,146
3rd: Kevin Hensley, Clarksville, Va., four bass, 14-14, $765
4th: Gary Atwell, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 12-10, $535
5th: Justin Dodson, Chesterfield, Va., five bass, 11-12, $458
6th: Mike Dandois, Saint Albans, W.Va., five bass, 11-5, $420
7th: Mitchell Camden, Rockbridge Baths, Va., five bass, 10-10, $382
8th: Derek Brown, Charlottesville, Va., four bass, 10-4, $344
9th: Jerry Pyles, Middletown, Md., five bass, 10-3, $306
10th: Mike Wray, Chester, Va., four bass, 9-10, $267
The next BFL Shenandoah Division tournament is scheduled for May 5 on Smith Mountain Lake in Huddleston, Va. After the fifth Shenandoah 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 Kerr Lake in Henderson, N.C. 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.