BRISTOL, Tenn. (April 21, 2008) - Boater Larry Neal of Piney Flats, Tenn., won the Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division bass fishing tournament on South Holston Reservoir Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 21 pounds, 12 ounces. The victory earned Neal $3,801 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Lake Murray Regional Championship in Columbia, S.C., Oct. 23-25, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
"It feels real good to win one of these," Neal said. "With the competition you have and the local people who can catch them, if feels real good to be able to compete with them."
Neal said the majority of his fish came on a Texas-rigged Berkley PowerWorm. Neal said he had a limit of fish by 9 a.m.
"Early in the morning, the fish were right on the bank," Neal said. "You'd throw it right up on the bank, and they'd grab it and take off with it. It was pretty easy. Then the fish moved deeper. It seemed I caught my bigger fish deeper."
Rounding out the top five boaters are David Mullins of Mount Carmel, Tenn. (five bass, 20-08, $2,236); Randy Brown of Mosheim, Tenn. (five bass, 19-10, $1,492); Adam Johnston of Kingston, Tenn. (five bass, 17-10, $1,043) and James Richardson of Johnson City, Tenn. (five bass, 17-5, $894). Randall Brown of Powell, Tenn., took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $650 for a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass he caught on a jerkbait.
Marty Stewart of Blountville, Tenn., earned $2,236 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 19 pounds, 04 ounces that he caught fishing a plastic worm on shallow banks.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jared Sullivan of Hixson, Tenn. (five bass, 16-01, $1,118); Robert Chambers of Elizabethton, Tenn. (five bass, 15-01, $745); Steve Harwood of Weaverville, N.C. (five bass, 14-09, $522) and Kibbee Moody of Crossville, Tenn. (five bass, 13-03, $447). Sullivan earned $325 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass.
Volunteer Division anglers will visit Cherokee Lake in Morristown, Tenn., May 10 for their third regular-season event. The division's fourth qualifying event will be held on Fort Loudoun Lake in Lenoir City, Tenn., June 28. A two-day Super Tournament, the division's fifth and final event, will be held on Watts Bar Lake in Spring City, Tenn., Sept. 6-7.