WAGONER, Okla. (June 19, 2017) – Boater Brett Brumnett of Wagoner, Oklahoma, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division tournament on Fort Gibson Lake. Brumnett took home $4,507 for his victory.
“I started out fishing 6 to 8 miles north of takeoff, on the upper end of the lake,” said Brumnett, who earned his first career victory in BFL competition. “About 20 minutes in I caught a 4-pounder on a football jig, but after another hour or so I couldn’t get a bite. So, I started making my way back down the lake.
“I noticed that they were pulling water, so I went and hit a couple of points that had some big wood on it,” Brumnett continued. “I was throwing a chartreuse and white (Strike King) spinnerbait with gold Colorado blades and I ended up catching a 6½-pounder at my first spot. When I caught that one I figured that is what I needed to be doing.”
Brumnett said that he fished shallow for the rest of the afternoon, targeting fish that were feeding on shad around big wood and bushes. He said that he ended up catching seven keepers on the spinnerbait.
“Near the end I came down close to the check-in and got out on a ledge,” Brumnett said. “I picked the football jig back up and caught a nice one with about 10 minutes to go. That fish won me the tournament.”
Brumnett said his jig that caught his first and last fish was a peanut butter and jelly-colored Jewel Football jig with a Gene Larew Biffle Bug trailer.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Brett Brumnett, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 19-7, $4,507
2nd: James Marsh, Thomas, Okla., five bass, 19-2, $2,253
3rd: Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., five bass, 17-13, $1,702
4th: Ed Barton, Vian, Okla., five bass, 17-7, $1,152
5th: Keith Hays, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 17-2, $901
6th: Brad Lankford, Wagoner, Okla., five bass, 16-14, $826
7th: Christopher Jones, Bokoshe, Okla., five bass, 16-8, $751
8th: Paul Loveland, Grove, Okla., five bass, 15-15, $676
9th: Travis McKelvey, Jenks, Okla., five bass, 15-9, $601
10th: Rick Kelley, Ada, Okla., five bass, 15-6, $526
Don Benson of Eufaula, Oklahoma, caught a 6-pound, 7-ounce bass, which was the heaviest of the tournament in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $655. Chastin Ezell of El Reno, Oklahoma, weighed in five bass totaling 19 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $2,253.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Chastin Ezell, El Reno, Okla., five bass, 19-1, $2,253
2nd: Justin Catcher, Park Hill, Okla., four bass, 16-1, $1,454
3rd: David Lansford, Muskogee, Okla., four bass, 15-11, $751
4th: Colten Hutson, Edmond, Okla., five bass, 14-15, $526
5th: Cord Colwell, Pryor, Okla., three bass, 12-5, $651
6th: Chris Rinehart, Mustang, Okla., five bass, 12-4, $394
6th: Cameron Foster, Wagoner, Okla., four bass, 12-4, $394
8th: David Bowen, Chouteau, Okla., five bass, 11-14, $338
9th: Steve Bradfield, Claremore, Okla., five bass, 11-11, $300
10th: Alex Lane, Ada, Okla., five bass, 11-8, $263
Catcher weighed a 5-pound, 12-ounce bass which also earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award and $327.