MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. (Oct. 5, 2009) - Mark Holloway of Madison, Ga., won the Walmart Bass Fishing League final Bulldog Division bass fishing tournament on Lake Sinclair Sunday with a two-day 10-bass catch weighing 23 pounds, 12 ounces. The victory earned Holloway $6,295. Anglers were competing to qualify for the Lake Seminole Regional Championship in Bainbridge, Ga., Oct. 22-24, where they could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
"I was very fortunate this weekend to get the quality bites that I got," said Holloway. "I knew that there weren't going to be a lot of bites the way I was fishing and it was going to be a matter of getting five bites and then getting them in the boat. As it turned out I only had six bites on the first day and seven on the second. It was basically a grind for me; I was using big bait to get the big bites and only lost one fish all weekend."
According to Holloway there were two ways to fish this tournament; either by fishing the main lake deep or going up either of two river arms to fish shallow. Holloway decided to go up the Oconee River where he fished in very shallow, 1-2 feet, of dirty water using a home-made jig.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Kip Carter of Loganville, Ga. (8 bass, 21-11, $3,148); Jim Windham of Bonaire, Ga. (10 bass, 20-14, $2,096); Tim Malcolm of Americus, Ga. (10 bass, 20-9, $1,469); and Robert Burdekin of Fayetteville, Ga. (10 bass, 19-12, $1,259).
Roy Bennett of Denton, Ga., took home the Boater Division Folgers Big Bass award, earning $877 for a 5-pound, 9-ounce bass he caught on a Texas rig.
Jerry Willis of Atlanta, Ga., earned $3,148 as the co-angler winner Sunday thanks to 8-bass weighing 18 pounds, 14 ounces that he caught using texas rigs and crankbaits.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Blake Atha of Social Circle, Ga. (6 bass, 13-14, $1,574); Robert Volinic of Peachtree City, Ga. (7 bass, 12-15, $1,050); Buddy Perkins of Eatonton, Ga. (6 bass, 11-10, $734); and Keith Howard of Perry, Ga. (8 bass, 11-3, $630).
Perkins also earned $439 as the co-angler Folgers Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 15-ounce bass on a shakey head red bug.