GROVE, Okla. (Sept. 15, 2014) – Thomas Canady of Bartlesville, Okla., weighed a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 29 pounds, 11 ounces to win the Bass Fishing League Okie Division super tournament on Grand Lake Sunday. For his victory, Canady earned $7,242.
“I had figured out that my fish were deeper in the mornings and they would move up shallower as the shad and sun came out,” said Canady, who earned the first BFL win of his career. “I put together a milk run of docks and brushpiles that I started on Saturday. I caught about 20 keepers, with most of my better bites coming in the afternoon. All of the fish I weighed in on Saturday were almost exactly three pounds.
“On Sunday I found that most of the spots I caught them on Saturday didn’t replenish,” Canady continued. “But, I had saved some spots and I was able to go to them and fill my limit.
“Grand Lake is about an hour from my house, and I consider it my home lake,” Canady said. “I spend a lot of time there and I pretty much knew what the bass were doing and what to look for. If I could have picked a BFL to win, it would definitely have been this one. This is a pretty good feeling.”
Canady said that he caught most of his fish on a green pumpkin-colored 10-inch Berkley Power Worm and a TC Smoke Red-colored Elk River Jigs Finesse Jig. Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Andy Carroll, Fort Smith, Ark., 10 bass, 29-0, $3,121
3rd: Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, 10 bass, 27-9, $2,082
4th: Clayton Douglass, Broken Arrow, Okla., nine bass, 26-10, $1,456
5th: Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., 10 bass, 25-10, $1,248
6th: Brandon Mosley, Choctaw, Okla., 10 bass, 25-5, $1,144
7th: Curt Warren, Rose, Okla., nine bass, 25-3, $1,040
8th: Don Turner, Wagoner, Okla., 10 bass, 24-11, $936
9th: Clayton Hale, Tulsa, Okla., 10 bass, 24-6, $832
10th: Chris McCall, Brookeland, Texas, 10 bass, 24-1, $728 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
Don Benson, of Eufaula, Okla., weighed in a two-day total of six bass totaling 20 pounds, 14 ounces to win $3,121 in the co-angler division Sunday. Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Cory Miller, Arnett, Okla., nine bass, 18-1, $1,560
3rd: Steve Bradfield, Claremore, Okla., seven bass, 17-0, $1,042
4th: Steve Sanders, Gore, Okla., five bass, 15-8, $728
5th: David Leonard, Skiatook, Okla., six bass, 14-3, $624
6th: Travis Edwards, Edmond, Okla., six bass, 13-9, $572
7th: Jeff Sickmiller, Elkins, Ark., five bass, 13-2, $520
8th: Devin Duncan, Kansas, Okla., six bass, 13-1, $468
9th: Steven Bale, Grove, Okla., five bass, 13-1, $416
10th: Jack Sikes, Quapaw, Okla., five bass, 12-3, $364
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 16-18 Regional on Sam Rayburn Reservoir in Jasper, Texas. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.