RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (June 17, 2013) – Josh Hilton of Clarksville, Ark., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Arkie Division tournament on Lake Dardanelle. For his victory, Hilton earned $3,289.
“I pre-fished every morning before work for a week for this tournament,” said Hilton. “I had to be to work by 8:15 a.m., so got up and fished from 4:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. making a 20-mile run up the river. I thought I was onto something, and then they dropped the water level by two feet.
“I started in the area that I found during practice, but by 11 a.m. I only had five little ones, so I decided to fish my way back down the river. I pulled into an area with half an hour left in the tournament and caught all the fish I weighed in about 10 minutes. They were stacked and ready to eat.”
According to Hilton, his honey hole was near the Illinois Bayou. It was a ledge where the bass were schooling and chasing baitfish. “I guess all they needed was for the sun to come out to start biting.
“It’s an area I have never fished before in my life,” Hilton went on to say. “I spotted it one morning crossing the bridge. Between my co-angler and I we must have caught about 15 keepers. I was able to cull seven or eight times. It all just happened so fast. It was a good day of fishing.”
Hilton said that he was fishing with 10-inch worms, football jigs and topwater baits to catch his fish.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Bradley Lequieu, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 17-15, $1,644
3rd: Steven Powell, Dardanelle, Ark., five bass, 17-7, $1,097
4th: Kirk Warren, Russelville, Ark., five bass, 17-5, $767
5th: Zach King, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 16-7, $658 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
6th: Justin Swayze, Gurdon, Ark., five bass, 16-5, $603
7th: Russell Carothers, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 16-1, $520
7th: Brandon Lee, Ratcliff, Ark., five bass, 16-1, $520
9th: Mark Hensiek, Humnoke, Ark., five bass, 15-11, $438
10th: Sawyer Grace, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 15-5, $384
Josh Penn of Benton, Ark., weighed five bass totaling 13 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the co-angler division. Penn earned $1,644 for his victory. Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Kevin Powell, Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 13-5, $822
3rd: Bruce Thompson, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 12-15, $549
4th: Evan Barnes, London, Ark., five bass, 12-12, $384
5th: Mitch Moon, Rose Bud, Ark., five bass, 12-10, $329
6th: Michael Gross, Gurdon, Ark., five bass, 12-5, $301
7th: Don Billiot, Bryant, Ark., four bass, 12-3, $274
8th: T.J. Miller, Greenbrier, Ark., four bass, 11-15, $247
9th: Hunter Dickey, White Hall, Ark., four bass, 10-6, $219
10th: Stephen Tyson Jr., Camden, Ark., five bass, 10-2, $192
The next BFL Arkie Division tournament is scheduled for Sept. 21-22 on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Ark. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Texoma in Pottsboro, Texas. 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.