BROOKELAND, Texas (June 1, 2015) – Paul Wilson of Converse, Louisiana, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division tournament on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. For his victory, Wilson earned $5,472. Wilson said he caught his fish along main-lake points in 14 to 20 feet of water. He used a Tennessee Shad-colored Norman Lures DD22 crankbait as well as a Carolina-rigged California 420-colored Zoom Ol' Monster Worm.
“I would use the DD22 to see if the fish were hungry and if they were I’d drag the Monster Worm,” said Wilson.
Wilson said he caught approximately 60 fish during the tournament.
“My second fish of the day was my biggest – a 7-pounder. I had a limit within 15 minutes,” said Wilson. “From there I went around to eight different spots. Three of them produced my winning fish, but we kept moving back and forth between the others to make sure we didn’t miss anything.
“With the water being higher than usual, there was a lot of underwater structure that normally wouldn’t be there,” continued Wilson. “The fish seemed to be attracted to the different obstacles – especially the more gradual slopes. And if the slopes had a lot of brush, I knew some big fish would be there. I was fortunate enough to find that out early on.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Paul Wilson, Converse, La., five bass, 21-5, $4,472 + $1,000 Mercury Bonus
2nd: Kris Wilson, Montgomery, Texas, five bass, 21-2, $2,236
3rd: John Maddox, Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 21-1, $1,492
4th: Albert Collins, Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 20-1, $1,043
5th: Bryan Trahan, Orange, Texas, five bass, 16-15, $894
6th: Nick Lebrun, Shreveport, La., five bass, 16-7, $782
6th: Dicky Newberry, Houston, Texas, five bass, 16-7, $782
8th: W.T. Wright, Spring, Texas, five bass, 16-3, $671
9th: Derrick Shoffitt, Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 16-2, $596
10th: Justin Morton, Etoile, Texas, five bass, 15-7, $522
Wright caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $650. Percy Richardson of Lufkin, Texas, weighed in five bass totaling 15 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win $2,157 in the co-angler division. The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Percy Richardson, Lufkin, Texas, five bass, 15-12, $2,157
2nd: Jeffrey Grubbs, Goodrich, Texas, five bass, 14-14, $1,079
3rd: Benjamin Shaw, Haughton, La., five bass, 14-13, $717
4th: Allen Dupree, Haughton, La., five bass, 14-9, $503
5th: Josh Torres, Etoile, Texas, five bass, 14-7, $431
6th: Charles Dranguet, Natchitoches, La., five bass, 13-12, $396
7th: Joseph Brozak, Orange, Texas, five bass, 13-6, $360
8th: Brandon Grove, Greenwood, La., five bass, 11-8, $324
9th: Jerry Coutee, Montgomery, La., five bass, 11-2, $288
10th: Bill Gift, Lindale, Texas, five bass, 11-1, $239
Grubbs caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $305.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 22-24 Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. 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.