HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (March 7, 2016) – Quincy Houchin of Mabelvale, Arkansas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 6 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division tournament on Lake Ouachita. For his victory, Houchin took home $4,359.
Houchin said he started his day casting an umbrella rig with Sexy Shad-colored Keitech swimbaits to rocks along banks on the Ouachita River.
“I had a limit in the boat by 8 a.m.,” said Houchin. “From there, I worked my way back to some mid-lake areas and caught four more keepers in the process. The wind was beginning to pick up and I knew bigger fish would be moving up shallow, so I wanted to target new structure.”
Around noon, Houchin said he switched things up and focused on mid-lake points using a red Bill Lewis Rat-L-Trap.
“I caught my four biggest bass after 2 p.m.,” said Houchin. “All I had to do was adjust to the weather conditions and I caught some sizeable fish.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Quincy Houchin, Mabelvale, Ark., five bass, 21-6, $4,359
2nd: Cody Burke, Bryant, Ark., five bass, 21-1, $2,804
3rd: Leland Nixon, Bee Branch, Ark., five bass, 16-13, $1,752
4th: Scott Hardin, Eads, Tenn., five bass, 16-5, $944
4th: Timmy Poe, Bryant, Ark., five bass, 16-5, $944
6th: Chris Layton, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 15-10, $799
7th: Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 15-6, $726
8th: Kyle Henderson, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 15-3, $654
9th: Jeremiah Kindy, Benton, Ark., five bass, 14-14, $581
10th: Brian Miller, Dardanelle, Ark., five bass, 14-13, $509
Burke caught a 7-pound, 14-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $625. Jeffery Conway of Mineral Springs, Arkansas, weighed in five bass totaling 14 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to earn $2,442 and win the co-angler division. The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Jeffery Conway, Mineral Springs, Ark., five bass, 14-8, $2,442
2nd: Josh Tittle, Monticello, Ark., five bass, 11-8, $1,070
3rd: Kevin Clark, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 10-7, $712
4th: Garrett Jarvis, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 10-2, $499
5th: Tommy Rigsby, Lonsdale, Ark., five bass, 9-13, $428
6th: Jesse Mitchell, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 9-11, $392
7th: Travis Harley, North Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 9-7, $339
7th: John Andrews Jr., Cherry Valley, Ark., four bass, 9-7, $339
9th: Josh Ford, Mount Ida, Ark., four bass, 9-1, $285
10th: Justin Johnson, Lavaca, Ark., five bass, 8-5, $237
10th: Ron Knight, Hot Springs, Ark., three bass, 8-5, $237
Conway also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $302.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Lake Chickamauga in Dayton, Tennessee. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.