BUCHANAN, Tenn. (Aug. 26, 2024) – Boater Jake Lawrence of Buchanan, Tennessee, weighed a two-day total of six fish for 27 pounds, 3 ounces, to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Super Tournament on Kentucky-Barkley Lakes , which wrapped up on Sunday. Boaters competing in the tournament were limited to three bass per day due to the summer heat. Hosted by the Henry County Tourism Authority, the tournament was the fifth and final regular-season event for the BFL LBL Division. Lawrence earned $12,517, including the $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
It’s been one heck of a run for Lawrence. In the last two seasons, he’s won two Toyota Series tournaments on the Kentucky-Barkley system, he’s won three BFL Super Tournaments – including two in a row in the LBL Division – and he won the Tackle Warehouse Invitational on Lake Eufaula back in May. He also finished second in the AOY race in his first season fishing the Invitationals and is currently in first in the Toyota Series Plains Division AOY standings, with a first- and second-place finish on the season. Lawrence is an absolute powerhouse on the western reservoirs of the Tennessee River and is expanding his game around the country.
So, it comes as no surprise to see him atop the standings in a stacked LBL Division Super Tournament field. For Lawrence, however, the approach needed to win on Kentucky-Barkley this time was a bit non-typical. For starters, he was able to stay close to the launch in Paris, Tennessee.
“It just seems like every tournament, I always seem to find them on the total opposite end of the lake,” he said. “It was really nice (this time). I think I only burned about 25 gallons of gas in two days, which I never do that.”
The other change is that Lawrence wasn’t as dialed as he likes to be in late summer. This is a tough time of year anywhere in the Mid-South region, but he’s usually able to use practice to pattern a depth and a couple presentations to do well in end-of-season tournaments. This event had the bass roaming and at multiple depths, so it was all about adapting and figuring things out during competition hours.
“Things were changing it seemed like every day in practice,” he said. “I fished Wednesday, Thursday and half a day on Friday, and it seemed like every day the fish were in different places and they would act different as far as the baits they’d react to. It was kind of a unique deal. We just put the boat in and went fishing and made it happen.”
Lawrence began each morning throwing a topwater lure, using Garmin LiveScope to scan shallow bars for carp so he could avoid areas where they were congregating. On day one, the topwater put about 12 pounds in the livewell. On day two, it wasn’t nearly as productive, landing just one 3-pounder.
The rest of each day, he went hunting bass with LiveScope and mixed it up with a variety of lures, including a 5-inch Yamamoto Shad Shape Worm and a prototype spinnerbait from Buckeye Lures. The spinnerbait wound up being his primary bait on Sunday, and even though he dialed in on that lure, the fish didn’t come easy. He had to make constant adjustments.
“It was primarily shallow bars,” Lawrence added. “If you could find some brush, it was good. But honestly, I found a ton of fish just kind of roaming around on the bars, which is kind of unique. We don’t do a tremendous amount of that here.”
The best areas were mostly on the main lake and ranged from 3 to 10 feet deep. Avoiding carp and relocating roaming bass throughout the day were the biggest challenges. Lawrence said he looked at 75 to 100 spots during the tournament. Once he had a decent limit in the boat, he’d head for the drops in the mouth of the Big Sandy. He said this area is renowned for being home to big largemouths, so he went there to upgrade.
“I was going literally as fast as I can go,” said Lawrence, who landed a 6-pounder on Sunday to seal the win. “It’s a numbers game. Again, you don’t know where the next one’s going to come. So, it was really, really important to keep the trolling motor on 10 and roll around the lake.”
Reflecting on his recent success, Lawrence was proud of the support he’s received from Phoenix Boats. Just this season, he’s won more than $78,000 in Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus money. That’s money that he and his wife put toward a down payment on a new home.
There’s nowhere else that you can get that,” he said. “I just can’t imagine any other opportunity like that. I certainly cannot thank Phoenix enough for what they’re doing and how aggressive they are with their tournament fishermen. And why not? They make the greatest tournament boat on Earth, and the company is full of the greatest people on Earth.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Jake Lawrence, Buchanan, Tenn., six fish, 27-3, $12,517 (includes $7,000 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Edward Gettys, Dover, Tenn., six fish, 24-0, $2,759
3rd: Harbor Lovin, New Concord, Ky., six fish, 22-12, $2,559
4th: Eli Lubbehusen, Huntingburg, Ind., six fish, 21-8, $1,287
5th: David Hames, Trezevant, Tenn., six fish, 20-10, $1,103
6th: Harlan Thomas, Paducah, Ky., six fish, 19-12, $1,012
7th: Levi Kohl, Edinburg, Ill., six fish, 19-11, $920
8th: Ryan Kirkpatrick, Benton, Ky., six fish, 19-11, $828
9th: Curt McGuire, Buchanan, Tenn., six fish, 19-7, $736
10th: Keith Claridge, Oakland City, Ind., six fish, 19-6, $644
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Harbor Lovin of New Concord, Kentucky, caught a bass that weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $720. Eric Law of Primm Springs, Tennessee, won the co-angler division and $2,759 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of five bass to the scale for 15 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Eric Law, Primm Springs, Tenn., five bass, 15-15, $2,759
2nd: Ed Daniell, West Frankfort, Ill., five bass, 15-10, $1,529
3rd: Ethan Wheeler, Water Valley, Ky., five bass, 13-15, $1,019
4th: Gabe Montgomery, Jackson, Mo., four bass, 13-8, $644
5th: Zach Falder, Sedalia, Ky., five bass, 13-6, $552
6th: Brant Gish, Evansville, Ind., five bass, 12-12, $506
7th: Hunter Holguin, Knoxville, Tenn., four bass, 11-8, $460
8th: Daniel Nolen, Lexington, Tenn., four bass, 11-0, $414
9th: Cory York, Benton, Ky., three bass, 10-12, $368
10th: Adam Lucas, Cape Girardeau, Mo., four bass, 10-6, $322
Danny Robinson of Fairland, Indiana, earned the Berkley Big Bass co-angler award of $360, catching a bass that weighed in at 6 pounds even – the largest co-angler catch of the day.
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