PARIS, Tenn. – Sam Lashlee of Hermitage, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Music City Division bass fishing tournament on Kentucky Lake. For his victory, Lashlee earned $3,028.
“When we got back to weigh-in I told my co-angler that there was no way I was going to win this tournament,” said Lashlee. “I figured it was going to take a 28- or 29-pound bag to win, so when I came in with my 22 pounds, I was pretty worried. I lost three real big fish, and usually in a tournament when you lose your three biggest fish that you have on, you’re not going to win. But today, the good Lord shined on me and I was able to pull it out.
“I had found a lot of fish on the beds during practice earlier this week, so I started out fishing shallow,” Lashlee continued. “After about a half hour of finding a lot of empty beds, I realized I needed to move out. I started targeting the staging areas right outside of the spawning areas, and I started catching a lot of fish. It was a great day up until 12:30 when I had battery problems. My trolling motor was dead, and I basically didn’t fish at all after 12:30.
“I caught all of my fish on Strike King lures,” Lashlee went on to say. “I was throwing a Series 5 crankbait, Chartreuse Sexy Shad colored. I also caught a few throwing a 4½-inch Strike King Shad-A-Licious swimbait, and I caught one on a Strike King Rodent. I was fishing in 4 to 8 feet of water, and found them on the gravel, near real deep, subtle drops.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
Boater Sam Lashlee of Hermitage, Tenn., finished in first place at the March 24 BFL Music City Division event on Kentucky Lake.
2nd: Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 19-9, $1,514
3rd: Tim Smiley, White Pine, Tenn., five bass, 17-11, $1,008
4th: Kevin Hatfield, Harlan, Ky., five bass, 16-1, $707
5th: Jeff Lokken, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 15-15, $606
6th: Brent Sain, Manchester, Tenn., five bass, 15-10, $555
7th: Robert Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 15-5, $505
8th: Bryan Dowdy, Arlington, Tenn., five bass, 15-0, $454
9th: Bryant Ailor, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 14-15, $404
10th: Lloyd Pickett Jr., Bartlett, Tenn., five bass, 14-12, $321
10th: Marty Shelley, Byrdstown, Tenn., five bass, 14-12, $321
10th: Forrest Smith, Pickerington, Ohio, five bass, 14-12, $321
Matt Simcox of Alpine, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win $1,514 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Charles Bennington, Scottsville, Ky., five bass, 14-9, $757
3rd: Craig Allen, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 13-13, $505
4th: Dick Russell, Chapel Hill, Tenn., five bass, 13-6, $353
5th: Jeff Emerton, Hillham, Tenn., five bass, 13-4, $303
6th: Steven Paul Brown, Tompkinsville, Ky., five bass, 13-3, $278
7th: Justin English, Owensboro, Ky., five bass, 12-8, $252
8th: Steve Melton, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 11-12, $227
9th: Kibbee McCoy, Crossville, Tenn., five bass, 11-11, $202
10th: Derek Stone, Walling, Tenn., five bass, 11-4, $177
The next BFL Music City Division tournament is scheduled for April 28 on Lake Barkley in Dover, Tenn. After the fifth Music City Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Date Regional Championship on Water in City, State. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for the BFL All-American. The 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the FLW Tour.