LUFKIN, Texas – Chad Wiley of Pineville, La., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division bass fishing tournament at Sam Rayburn Reservoir. For his victory, Wiley earned $4,632.
“It was a last-minute decision to go deep, but it paid off,” said Wiley. “I had pre-fished shallow and I really couldn’t get nothing going. The fish were biting, but they were the smaller males and only around 2 pounds apiece. I knew I could easily catch 10 pounds fishing shallow, but that wouldn’t be enough to win. So I swung for the fence and completely changed my strategy and went deep.”
The decision turned out to be a good one for Wiley, as he won by 5½ pounds over his closest competitor.
“I fished deep off the main river ledges,” Wiley continued. “I would find certain ledges that would serve as a ditch for late spawners coming out of the river to go into spawn, so that’s what I targeted. I keyed in on three areas, because I did not have a lot of time to waste. I just ran back and forth to my three spots, and I couldn’t have asked for a better day. I was using a ¾-ounce Oldham’s Jig in black and blue. Whenever I would find structure that it would get hung up on, I switched to a ½-ounce Sniper Lures Trigger Craw cause I knew it wouldn’t get hung up. I was able to catch around 20 fish total throughout the day.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
Chad Wiley took home the top spot at the BFL Cowboy Division event on the Sam Rayburn Reservoir.
2nd: Bill Rogers, Jasper, Texas, five bass, 20-0, $1,816
3rd: Glenn Robertson, Shreveport, La., five bass, 19-0, $1,210 + $1,000 Evinrude Bonus
4th: Alan Fitts, Hemphill, Texas, five bass, 16-11, $847
5th: Matthew Delaney, Pollock, La., five bass, 15-14, $726
6th: Randall Deaver, Shreveport, La., five bass, 14-13, $666
7th: Dewey Day, Huntington, Texas, four bass, 14-7, $605
8th: Bradley Stringer, Huntington, Texas, five bass, 14-5, $545
9th: Randy Despino, Colfax, La., five bass, 14-2, $484
10th: Ricky Guy, Humble, Texas, four bass, 14-0, $385
10th: Steven Singleton, Nederland, Texas, five bass, 14-0, $385
10th: Don Williams, Keithville, La., five bass, 14-0, $385
John Morris of Houston, Texas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win $1,648 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Dustin Jerrett, Apple Springs, Texas, five bass, 17-12, $824
3rd: Robert Moore, Leesville, La., five bass, 15-13, $549
4th: Kenny Moser, Alba, Texas., four bass, 13-14, $385
5th: Randall Morgan, Rusk, Texas, five bass, 13-12, $330
6th: Keith Rose, Harleton, Texas, five bass, 12-12, $302
7th: Grayson Honeycutt, Temple, Texas, five bass, 11-8, $275
8th: Richard Earle, Youngsville, La., four bass, 11-2, $247
9th: Larry Lark, Converse, Texas, four bass, 11-1, $220
10th: Daniel Brock, Anna, Texas, five bass, 11-0, $192
The next BFL Cowboy Division tournament is scheduled for March 17 on Toledo Bend Lake in Many, La. After the fifth Cowboy Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 18-20 Regional Championship on the Red River in Natchitoches, La. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 40 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. The 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the FLW Tour.