BAINBRIDGE, Ga. – Danny Kirk of Bartow, Ga., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Seminole. For his victory, Kirk earned $4,009.
“Saturday the sun was high and the skies were bright blue,” said Kirk. “I had prefished the lake on Friday using a Rat –L-Trap. The bass were on sand bars on beds, but that all changed on Saturday.
“I started out using crankbaits but never got a bite,” Kirk continued. “So I switched over to a Carolina rig with a Zoom Trick Worm and moved off shore to about 8-feet of water. The front that moved through really slowed the fishing down, the bass were not nearly as active as they were on Friday. I only had five keeper bites all day, but luckily two of them were over 8-pounds each.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Terry Stevens, Marianna, Fla., five bass, 21-12, $2,005
3rd: David Lowery, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 19-8, $1,336
4th: David Millsaps, Ranger, Ga., five bass, 15-12, $935
5th: Chad Prough, Chipley, Fla., five bass, 15-7, $802
6th: Darryl Stewart, Dothan, Ala., three bass, 15-5, $735
7th: Michael Conley, Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 13-8, $668
8th: Donald Brinson, Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 13-5, $601
9th: Ty Solis, Albany, Ga., five bass, 13-0, $535
10th: Clarence Bush, Bainbridge, Ga., five bass, 12-8, $444
Frank Kitchens Jr., Maryville, Tenn., four bass, 12-8, $444
Kyle Parks of Albany, Ga., weighed in four bass totaling 15 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win $2,005 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Todd Poore, Albany, Ga., five bass, 13-11, $1,002
3rd: Mic Miller, Buena Vista, Ga., three bass, 13-1, $668
4th: Clay Wells, Chattahoochee, Fla., four bass, 11-5, $468
5th: Deric Burke, Titusville, Fla., four bass, 9-15, $401
6th: Leonard Galbraith, Live Oak, Fla., three bass, 9-10, $368
7th: Mark Gilmore, Caryville, Fla., five bass, 9-6, $334
8th: Tim Greene, Grayson, Ga., five bass, 9-5, $301
9th: Terry Blaxton Jr., Columbus, Ga., five bass, 8-15, $267
10th: Jody Jarvis, Donalsonville, Ga., four bass, 8-8, $234
The next BFL Bulldog Division tournament is scheduled for April 21 on Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Ga. After the fifth Bulldog 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 Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. 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 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.