GAINESVILLE, Ga. (April 14, 2014) – Pat Fisher of Colbert, Ga., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 24 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division tournament on Lake Lanier. For his victory, Fisher earned $4,729. Fisher, a former Walmart FLW Tour pro, reported catching the entirety of his impressive creel on beds in the midsection of Lanier.
“I think I culled five times,” said Fisher. “They were in the backs of creeks where the bank transitioned from steep to flat. We just had three inches of rain and it pushed the fish back a bit.
“There was a lot of pollen on the water that made it difficult to see the fish,” explained Fisher. “Some of the other competitors seemed to be overlooking the fish I was catching.
“I had no clue I had what I had. I thought I had around 20 pounds,” said Fisher. “When they get that big it’s hard to start putting them together. It turned out I had an 8-pounder that I thought was around 6-pounds.”
Fisher said that he rotated through a variety of baits, but caught his three biggest bass on a white-colored Zoom Super Hog. Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Paul Marks, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 21-3, $2,364
3rd: Trent Gober, Pendergrass, Ga., five bass, 20-13, $1,576
4th: Kip Carter, Loganville, Ga., five bass, 17-4, $1,103
5th: Rick Steckelberg, Eastanollee, Ga., five bass, 16-7, $946
6th: Scott Hayes, Newnan, Ga., five bass, 15-15, $867
7th: Rusty Evans, Roswell, Ga., five bass, 15-4, $788
8th: Buster Slocumb, Juliette, Ga., five bass, 15-2, $709
9th: Seth Kirkland, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 14-15, $631
10th: Jesse Millsaps, Jasper, Ga., five bass, 14-7, $552
March Glenn of Decatur, Ga., weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win $2,364 in the co-angler division. Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: John Watwood, Winder, Ga., five bass, 14-10, $1,182
3rd: Charlie Dick, Conyers, Ga., five bass, 11-11, $788
4th: Michael Wilder, Macon, Ga., five bass, 11-4, $552
5th: Jason Wiley, Soperton, Ga., four bass, 10-14, $473
6th: Justin Paulus, Atlanta, Ga., five bass, 10-10, $433
7th: Wayne Hancock, Cumming, Ga., five bass, 10-9, $394
8th: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 10-8, $355
9th: Robert Fleming, McDonough, Ga., five bass, 10-3, $315
10th: Nicholas Leno, Chicago, Ill., five bass, 9-15, $276
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 2-4 Regional Championship on the St. John’s River in Palatka, Fla. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.