PELL CITY, Ala. (June 16, 2008) - Boater Allen Hayes of Pell City, Ala., won the Bass Fishing League Bama Division bass fishing tournament on Logan Martin Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 17 pounds, 7 ounces. The victory earned Hayes $3,020 plus a $532 Ranger contingency bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Lake Murray Regional Championship in Columbia, S.C., Oct. 23-25, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
"This is great," said Hayes, who won the 2004 BFL All-American in Hot Springs, Ark. "This win is really kind of overdue. I've had some good finishes, but haven't won one since the All-American. I'm blessed that I got it.
"I started fishing deep and fished deep all day," Hayes said. "I fished secondary points and humps about 15 feet deep. I caught fish on a crankbait, jig and spinnerbait. I just sort of mixed it up."
Hayes said he caught eight or nine fish throughout the course of the day, and they came off of different spots and were spread out throughout the day.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Lawrence Curd of Steele, Ala. (five bass, 14-15, $1,777); Kris Colley of Ashville, Ala. (five bass, 13-10, $1,185); Jimmy Bahakel of Birmingham, Ala. (five bass, 13-01, $770) and Eddie Jackson of Trussville, Ala. (five bass, 13-01, $770).
Hayes took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $455 for a 6-pound, 6-ounce bass he caught on a crankbait.
Jim Kendrick of Oxford, Ala., earned $1,777 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 11 pounds, 2 ounces that he caught working a magnum lizard and a crankbait over submerged brushpiles.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Brian Harbison of Birmingham, Ala. (five bass, 10-13, $888); Matthew Embry of Munford, Ala. (five bass, 10-04, $592); David Marr of Cleveland, Tenn. (five bass, 9-15, $415) and Richard Kee of Denmark, Tenn. (five bass, 9-14, $355).
Kendrick earned $227 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 10-ounce bass on a magnum lizard in submerged brush.
Bama Division anglers will visit Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala., Sept. 27-28 for a two-day Super Tournament, the division's fifth and final event.