WAGONER, Okla. – Casey Sullivan of Vian, Okla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Okie Division tournament on Fort Gibson Lake. For his victory, Sullivan earned $3,756.
“It was a long, tough day out there,” said Sullivan. “I didn’t get my first fish in the boat until 9:45 a.m. I only had five bites all day, and my last one came at 2:55 p.m. It was a grind. I was running points all day near dirty water. The water level had been fluctuating all week from all of the rainfall that we had, and I wanted it to stay down. Once the water comes up, then it’s anyone’s ball game. Luckily they kept the gates on (Fort) Gibson open and the water was just flowing through. The current was extremely strong, though.
“I caught most of my fish on a green pumpkin-colored Strike King Football Head jig, but I also threw a War Eagle spinnerbait,” Sullivan continued. “All of my fish that I weighed in were post-spawn, but still came pretty shallow – from 2 to 6 feet of water. There was a thunderstorm building all day, but we stayed dry. It’s nice when your game plan comes together. I was just running my spots and it worked out well for me.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Bob Noble, Nowata, Okla., five bass, 17-6, $1,878
3rd: Blake Ellison, Inola, Okla., five bass, 15-9, $1,253
4th: Derek Fulps, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 14-8, $876
5th: Danny Shepard, Cottonwood Falls, Kan., five bass, 14-2, $751
6th: Bill Bean, Eufaula, Okla., five bass, 13-14, $689
7th: Floyd Drannon, Stratford, Okla., five bass, 13-10, $626
8th: Jason Sandidge, Centerton, Ark., five bass, 13-9, $563
9th: Rick Kelley, Ada, Okla., five bass, 13-5, $501
10th: Mitchell Webb, Skiatook, Okla., five bass, 12-13, $438
Wesley Potter of Colcord, Okla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win $1,878 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Brad Reynolds, Lowell, Ark., five bass, 12-14, $939
3rd: Clayton Hale, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 12-13, $627
4th: John David Jamison, Muskogee, Okla., four bass, 12-12, $438
5th: Terry Canady, Skiatook, Okla., five bass, 10-15, $376
6th: Derek Brooks, Atoka, Okla., four bass, 10-11, $344
7th: Bill Gift, Alix, Ark., four bass, 9-14, $313
8th: Matt Columbus, Oklahoma City, Okla., two bass, 8-11, $282
9th: Bob Harrington, Piedmont, Okla., four bass, 8-10, $234
9th: Steve Rutherford, Bella Vista, Ark., two bass, 8-10, $234
The next BFL Okie Division tournament is scheduled for July 21 on the Arkansas River in Muskogee, Okla. After the fifth Okie 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 the Red River in Natchitoches, La. 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.