GADSDEN, Ala. – It was a double-header for bass anglers this past weekend in Gadsden with the Bass Fishing League tournaments on Neely Henry Lake events. FLW rescheduled the events after the coronavirus pandemic forced the organization to pause competition in mid-March. Boaters Byron Smith of Tyrone, Georgia, and Jason Nixon of Wetumpka, Alabama, both brought a five-bass limit to the scale totaling 13 pounds, 10 ounces to tie for the win at Saturday’s tournament, while Hunter Hayes of Gadsden, Alabama, brought in a limit weighing 14 pounds, 12 ounces on Sunday to earn the win. Nixon and Smith each earned $2,937 for their wins Saturday, while Hayes won Sunday’s top prize of $4,545.
Smith fished shallow, flipping to wood and isolated grass clumps in the mid-lake area, while Nixon used nine different rods and junk-fished his way to a solid limit. Nixon said his key bait was flipping a watermelon red flake-colored Zoom Brush Hog.
“It was a tough practice, so I just kept a bait in the water,” Nixon said. “I culled one time and caught two short fish – only eight bites all day.”
The top five boaters on Saturday were:
1st: Jason Nixon of Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 13-10, $3,457
1st: Byron Smith of Tyrone, Ga., five bass, 13-10, $2,937
3rd: Steven White of Ashville, Ala., five bass, 13-4, $1,807
4th: Jordan Heath of Rainbow City, Ala., five bass, 13-2, $914
5th: Geoff McKnight of Rainbow City, Ala., five bass, 12-2, $983
Nixon brought a 5-pound, 3-ounce bass to the scale to add Saturday’s Boater Big Bass award of $520 to his winnings. White was the highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500 Saturday. Boaters are eligible to win up to an extra $7,000 per event in each Bass Fishing League tournament if all requirements are met. M
Justin Thomas of Panama City, Florida, won the Co-angler Division and $1,958 Saturday after catching four bass weighing 10 pounds, 5 ounces.
The top five co-anglers Saturday finished as follows:
1st: Justin Thomas of Panama City, Fla., four bass, 10-5, $1,958
2nd: Mark Denney of Perry, Ga., five bass, 9-4, $979
3rd: Justin Nalley of Fayetteville, Ga., four bass, 9-3, $653
4th: Daniel Buswell Jr. of Fayetteville, Ga., five bass, 9-0, $457
5th: Thomas Taylor Ellington of Opelika, Ala., four bass, 8-12, $392
Chris Wade of Acworth, Georgia, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division Saturday, weighing in at 4 pounds, 12 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $260. On Sunday, Hayes went up the river targeting laydowns and openings with a crankbait to earn his victory.
“I knew how tough the grass was yesterday, so today (Sunday) I went way up the river fishing for spotted bass,” Hayes said. “I got lucky and caught a nice 4-pound largemouth and ended up filling out my limit with 2¼-pound spots.
“I caught my fish on a (Rapala) DT6 crankbait in chartreuse with a blue top,” Hayes continued. “There was no pressure up the river – I might have seen five other boats all day.”
The top five boaters on Sunday were:
1st: Hunter Hayes of Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 14-12, $4,545
2nd: Geoff McKnight of Rainbow City, Ala., five bass, 13-5, $1,973
3rd: Kris Colley of Ragland, Ala., five bass, 12-8, $1,181
4th: Jason Nixon of Wetumpka, Ala., five bass, 12-3, $827
5th: George Crain of Cropwell, Ala., five bass, 11-15, $1,154
Crain brought a 5-pound, 1-ounce bass to the scale to win Sunday’s Boater Big Bass award of $445. Jeff Kitchens of Auburn, Alabama, was Sunday’s highest-finishing FLW PHOENIX BONUS member and took home an extra $500. Danny Moss of Glencoe, Alabama, won the Co-angler Division and $1,773 Sunday after catching a five-bass limit weighing 9 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top five co-anglers Sunday finished as follows:
1st: Danny Moss of Glencoe, Ala., five bass, 9-15, $1,773
2nd: Dennis Sandoval of Decatur, Ala., five bass, 9-13, $886
3rd: Andrew Fisher of Anniston, Ala., five bass, 9-1, $591
4th: Scott Carpenter of Childersburg, Ala., five bass, 8-4, $414
5th: Rod Smith of Pell City, Ala., five bass, 8-1, $355
Brad Sampson of Carriere, Mississippi, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, weighing in at 5 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $222.