IUKA, Miss. (Oct. 3, 2016) – Cody Nichols of Fayette, Alabama, weighed in a two-day cumulative total of nine bass weighing 27 pounds, 14 ounces, to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Mississippi Division Super Tournament on Pickwick Lake Sunday. For his win, Nichols pocketed $7,883. Nichols said he spent the tournament fishing grass on the north end of the lake.
“I had two main areas that I caught my fish from – a 50- and 200-yard stretch of mats,” said Nichols, who earned his first win BFL competition. “I mainly used a 6-inch Basstrix Paddle Tail Swimbait along the edges in 4 to 5 feet of water. I also weighed in one keeper Saturday punching a green-pumpkin Strike King Twin Tail Menace Grub.”
On Day One, Nichols caught the heaviest bass of the event – a 6-pound, 6-ouncer – off of the swimbait.
“I went outside of where I was catching them because I wanted to leave them alone for Sunday,” said Nichols. “I went down the mat, threw the Paddle Tail and caught it.”
Nichols said he returned to his two main stretches on Day Two, but only was able to catch four keepers – a far cry from the 40 he boated on Day One.
“I don’t know why there was such a drop off in the bites,” said Nichols. “I weighed in one on the Grub and the other three on the Paddle Tail. I didn’t think I had enough to win, but I got pretty lucky.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Cody Nichols, Fayette, Ala., nine bass, 27-14, $7,883
2nd: Cameron Gautney, Muscle Shoals, Ala., 10 bass, 27-9, $3,436
3rd: Charles Watts, Corinth, Miss., 10 bass, 27-7, $2,290
4th: Roger Stegall, Iuka, Miss., 10 bass, 25-3, $1,603
5th: Brandon Perkins, Counce, Tenn., 10 bass, 24-9, $1,574
6th: Strike King Lures pro Michael Wooley, Collierville, Tenn., 10 bass, 24-6, $1,260
7th: Michael Roach, Olive Branch, Miss., 10 bass, 24-4, $1,145
8th: Jeffery Moore, Ripley, Miss., 10 bass, 24-3, $1,031
9th: Craig Grubbs, Tishomingo, Miss., 10 bass, 24-1, $1,016
10th: Dennis Perrigo, Rienzi, Miss., 10 bass, 23-4, $802
Nichols’ 6-pound, 6-ounce bass earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $1,012. Craig Mayo of Corinth, Mississippi, won the co-angler division and earned $3,372 with a two-day cumulative catch of seven bass weighing 21 pounds, 2 ounces. The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Craig Mayo, Corinth, Miss., seven bass, 21-2, $3,372
2nd: Jennings Earnest, Guin, Ala., eight bass, 19-14, $1,886
3rd: Stephen Brown, Arlington, Tenn., six bass, 18-3, $1,121
4th: Mike Mallett, Walls, Miss., eight bass, 17-10, $787
5th: Sank Payton, Bay Springs, Miss., seven bass, 16-12, $1,158
6th: Justin Thomas, Braxton, Miss., seven bass, 16-7, $668
7th: David Best, Bartlett, Tenn., eight bass, 16-6, $562
8th: Don Meyerett, Olive Branch, Miss., eight bass, 16-6, $506
9th: Hunter Miles, Collinsville, Miss., six bass, 15-14, $450
10th: John Swords, Collierville, Tenn., six bass, 14-6, $393
Payton caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 12 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $484.