ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (Feb. 18, 2013) – Bob Blackerby of Chelsea, Ala., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Bama Division event on Lake Martin. For his victory, Blackerby earned $5,804.
“If you told me today that I had to go somewhere and catch 22 pounds to win an FLW tournament, Lake Martin would have been the last place I would have thought it could happen for me,” said Blackerby. “When I drew my co-angler on Friday night I didn’t have anything figured out. I told him not to expect much, and he probably wouldn’t be disappointed. This is Lake Martin, and it’s unusual to catch a really good sack. Fifteen to 16 pounds is usually what it takes to win here.
“I told my co-angler that we weren’t going to run very far,” Blackerby continued. “It was cold, it was windy and I knew that I didn’t want to run far. I thought I knew of a few places where we could catch a limit of spots but we ended up not getting a bite. Then I made the decision to move to the back of a cove where I knew I have caught some good fish shallow in years past.
“I immediately hooked into a 3 ½-pounder, but ended up losing the fish right before it got to the net,” Blackerby went on to say. “It made me sick. A 3 ½-pounder down here is monumental. It shook me up pretty bad. After leaving that area and checking a few other spots without a bite, we returned to the same spot where I had lost that fish earlier in the morning. It was there where I caught my biggest fish. From then on I made the decision to fish shallow the rest of the day.”
Blackerby said finding the key to his winning pattern was due to his visit to Lake Martin a few weeks prior. During his pre-fishing he was able to get into the backs of the pockets and visually see stumps and brush. He noted that the water level was about 2 ½ feet higher on the tournament day and all the wood and cover was now submerged. Blackerby could not see it, but knew it was there. His entire limit came on a red-colored Rat-L-Trap.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Yancy Windham, Reform, Ala., five bass, 19-12, $1,902
3rd: Michael Jones, Tallassee, Ala., five bass, 15-8, $1,267
4th: Tullis Lanier, Rockford, Ala., five bass, 15-0, $888
5th: Tim Hurst, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 14-13, $761
6th: Joshua Herren, Pinson, Ala., five bass, 14-12, $697
7th: John Pollard, Eclectic, Ala., five bass, 14-9, $634
8th: Marty Giddens, Alpine, Ala., five bass, 14-6, $571
9th: Dalton Bobo, Northport, Ala., five bass, 13-12, $507
10th: Felton Langley, Lafayette, Ala., five bass, 13-2, $444
Ken Morris of Harpersville, Ala., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win $1,902 in the co-angler division. Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Michael Corbett, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 12-10, $951
3rd: Michael Roush, Mobile, Ala., five bass, 11-6, $634
4th: Michael Wright, Covington, Ga., five bass, 10-8, $444
5th: Rodney Graham, Childersburg, Ala., five bass, 10-3, $380
6th: Mark Cameron, Phenix City, Ala., five bass, 9-12, $349
7th: Alan Morgan, Alex City, Ala., five bass, 9-9, $317
8th: Brandon Skinner, De Armanville, Ala., five bass, 9-6, $285
9th: Chris Quaintance, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 8-14, $254
10th: David Reid, Roswell, Ga., five bass, 8-13, $222
The next BFL Bama Division tournament is scheduled for April 6 on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Ala. 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 Hartwell in Lavonia, Ga. 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.