SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (Sept. 28, 2015) – Bradley Jones of Aragon, Georgia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 24 pounds even Sunday to win the Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division Super Tournament on Lake Guntersville with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 42 pounds, 12 ounces. For his victory, Jones earned $6,574.
“I entered this event with the goal of catching enough fish to get me into the BFL regional tournament,” said Jones of his third win in FLW competition. “After a strong practice, I knew where I needed to be and I got to work.
“On Saturday morning I caught a 5- and 3½-pounder,” continued Jones. “Then the bite slowed, so I moved to another area that I’d found in practice – a 200-yard stretch of bank. I ended up catching six keepers.”
Jones said he caught a few keepers on a black Spro Poppin’ Frog and also flipped a Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver with a 1-ounce weight when he wanted to slow down his pace.
“I caught a 5-pounder within the first 30 minutes of competition on Sunday,” said Jones. “It was a great way to get things moving. I nabbed four more keepers throughout the day to seal the deal. It was a great tournament.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Bradley Jones, Aragon, Ga., 10 bass, 42-12, $6,574
2nd: Scott Towry, Lawrenceburg, Tenn., 10 bass, 41-8, $3,287
3rd: Curtis Merriman, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 39-0, $2,193
4th: Michael Stevens Jr., Fayetteville, Tenn., 10 bass, 36-14, $1,534
5th: Jeff Cannon, Douglasville, Ga., nine bass, 36-9, $1,315
6th: Jackie Flack, Cullman, Ala., 10 bass, 36-3, $1,205
7th: Scott Wright, Carbon Hill, Ala., nine bass, 33-8, $1,096
8th: Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., 10 bass, 33-0, $986
9th: Damien Willis, Jacksonville, Ala., 10 bass, 32-7, $877
10th: Tim Wilson, Gas City, Ind., 10 bass, 31-7, $767
Curtis Jordan of Ringgold, Georgia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Friday. The fish weighed 7 pounds, 6 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $930. Chris Quaintance of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, won the co-angler division and $3,175 with a two-day total of nine bass weighing 23 pounds, 15 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Chris Quaintance, Muscle Shoals, Ala., nine bass, 23-15, $3,175
2nd: Jack Morris, New Hope, Ala., seven bass, 23-12, $1,587
3rd: Todd McBride, Huntsville, Ala., seven bass, 21-0, $1,059
4th: Jesse Craver, Centreville, Ala., eight bass, 19-1, $741
5th: Chase Fleeman, Saint Joseph, Tenn., six bass, 18-15, $635
6th: Lee Graves, Southside, Ala., seven bass, 17-8, $582
7th: Rodney Treadaway, Decatur, Ala., seven bass, 17-6, $529
8th: Jerry Armstrong, Shelbyville, Tenn., seven bass, 16-5, $476
9th: Ben Waldrop, Hiram, Ga., six bass, 16-1, $423
10th: Johnny Sanson, Winchester, Tenn., six bass, 16-0, $370
Price Puryear of Dalton, Georgia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $442.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings now qualify for the Oct. 22-24 Regional Championship on Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Alabama. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.