NATCHITOCHES, La. (Oct. 22, 2012) – Pete Lowe of Woodworth, La., won the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional tournament on the Red River with a three-day total of 15 bass totaling 40 pounds, 2 ounces. For his victory, Lowe won a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard plus a Chevy 1500 Silverado and entry into the BFL All-American. This regional tournament featured the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers from each of the Arkie, Cowboy, Mississippi and Okie divisions.
“This tournament was definitely the biggest win that I have ever had,” said Lowe. “It feels excellent, and I can’t wait to fish the All-American.
“I fished exclusively in Pool 3, where we launched out of,” said Lowe. “I really didn’t want to gamble with the locks, and I knew from my practice period that I had four or five good areas to fish. I fished the Colfax end of the pool and targeted ledges, fishing everywhere from 5 to 19 feet.
“Every day I would start out by making a 30-minute run to what turned out to be my primary area,” Lowe continued. “I would get my best fish early on a crappie-colored Bandit Series 200 crankbait. I would catch an early limit – the latest that I filled out my limit was 9:45 a.m. Then I would move and fish my other areas and I would cull a few and gain a few pounds.
“The crankbait bite would slow down in the afternoon,” Lowe said. “That’s when I would switch to a Okeechobee Craw-colored Xcite Baits Raptor Craw or a watermelon red-colored Zoom Speed Worm. Conserving my fish was extremely important to me, and that’s why I moved around. I wanted to save my fish so I didn’t burn them up until the final day. I mainly just targeted the grass and scattered stumps that I could find on the river ledges.”
Despite catching 15 keepers a day and holding a comfortable 3-pound lead heading into the final day of competition, Lowe was still extremely nervous and stressed.
“I was so nervous that I didn’t eat at all on Friday, and not until after the tournament was over on Saturday,” Lowe said. “I weighed myself when I got home and I lost six pounds because it was so nerve-wracking. I prayed so much for this, and I need to thank God for blessing me with this win.”
The top six boaters that qualified for the BFL All-American were:
1st: Pete Lowe, Woodworth, La., 15 bass, 40-2, Ranger Z518 with 200-horsepower outboard + Chevy 1500 Silverado
2nd: Brooke Morrison, Youngsville, La., 15 bass, 33-2, $1,500
3rd: Craig Frilot, Breaux Bridge, La., 15 bass, 31-1, $1,100
4th: Jason Cordell, Pelahatchie, Miss., 15 bass, 30-15, $1,000
5th: Eric Poindexter, Eufaula, Okla., 15 bass, 29-8, $900
6th: Shawn Gordon, Russellville, Ark., 15 bass, 29-6, $800
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
7th: Buzz Gallo, Moselle, Miss., 15 bass, 27-6, $700
8th: Brock Mosley, Collinsville, Miss., 12 bass, 27-2, $650
9th: Adam Wright, Benton, Ark., 15 bass, 26-15, $600
10th: Kevin Lasyone, Dry Prong, La., 15 bass, 26-10, $550
Will Terrell of Memphis, Tenn., won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of 15 bass totaling 27 pounds, 5 ounces. For his efforts, Terrell took home a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard along with a berth in the BFL All-American.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the BFL All-American were:
1st: Will Terrell, Memphis, Tenn., 15 bass, 27-5, Ranger Z518 with 200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Jonathan Primeaux, Lake Charles, La., 14 bass, 23-4, $750
3rd: William Dowden, Leesville, La., 13 bass, 22-7, $550
4th: William Scott, Tahlequah, Okla., 13 bass, 21-15, $500
5th: Tito Abiseid, Conway, Ark., 12 bass, 21-14, $450
6th: Aaron Williams, Moss Point, Miss., 14 bass, 21-9, $400
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
7th: Dylan Duncan, Kansas, Okla., 12 bass, 21-5, $350
8th: Ricky Dudley, Greenville, Miss., 12 bass, 20-13, $325
9th: Bill Smith, Ocean Springs, Miss., 14 bass, 20-1, $300
10th: Brad Reynolds, Lowell, Ark., 11 bass, 19-1, $275
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 Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.