FLORENCE, Ala. (June 23, 2014) – Currey Holley of Pulaski, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 24 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division tournament on Pickwick Lake. For his victory, Holley earned $6,466. Holley, a local who guides on Pickwick Lake, earned his win by eschewing the popular ledge bite in favor of a unique pattern he had been fishing for the two weeks leading up to the event.
“I stayed upriver,” said Holley. “I was trying to stay away from the crowds on the ledges. I basically fished from Cane Creek up to the dam. There was a lot less fishing pressure up there.
“I fished shallow most of the time,” Holley continued. “Most of my fish came from less than six feet. I was using the current. I fished a lot of points and eddies around breaks in the bluffs.
“It looked good at the end of the day, but I wasn’t catching them all day,” explained Holley. “I probably caught around 20 fish all day long, but I had spells in between without a bite. My fish usually came in flurries when I would hit the right spot while they were feeding.
“I felt good going into it because I thought I had figured out something different,” finished Holley. “It felt great to win.”
Holley said he caught most of his fish on a shad-colored 6-inch swimbait and a green-pumpkin-colored 3/8-ounce homemade football jig. Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: David Allen, Florence, Ala., five bass, 21-0, $1,733
3rd: Will Yelverton, Hazel Green, Ala., five bass, 20-7, $1,155 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
4th: James Byrd, Florence, Ala., five bass, 20-6, $809
5th: Kevin Wright, Waterloo, Ala., five bass, 18-13, $693
6th: Dustin Berryman, Russellville, Ala., five bass, 18-8, $635
7th: Alan Langford, Tupelo, Miss., five bass, 18-4, $578
8th: Jeremy Stutts, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 18-1, $520
9th: Danny Shell, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 17-8, $462
10th: Ronnie Robinson, Hackleburg, Ala., five bass, 17-6, $404
John Bowdre of Hernando, Miss., weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win $1,733 in the co-angler division. Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: B.J. Balentine, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 21-9, $866
3rd: Austin Weaver, Sheffield, Ala., five bass, 19-7, $577
4th: Chris Patterson, Kimberly, Ala., five bass, 16-12, $404
5th: Kaleb Butler, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 16-11, $347
6th: Thomas White, Iron City, Tenn., five bass, 16-4, $318
7th: John Wilkerson, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 15-11, $289
8th: Lake Blasingame, Killen, Ala., five bass, 14-15, $260
9th: J.R. Boatright Jr., Trafford, Ala., five bass, 14-9, $231
10th: Steven Dabbs, Boaz, Ala., five bass, 14-0, $202
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.