HUDDLESTON, Va. (Oct. 17, 2011) – Rob Digh of Denver, N.C., won the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional bass fishing tournament on Smith Mountain Lake with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 30 pounds, 12 ounces. For his victory, Brummett won a 198VX Ranger boat with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor plus a Chevy 1500 Silverado and entry into the BFL All-American Championship tournament. This regional tournament featured the top 40 boaters and co-anglers from the Buckeye, Northeast, South Carolina and Volunteer divisions of the FLW BFL circuit.
“Around 10:00 a.m. Thurs. morning I didn’t have a fish,” said Digh. “I found a good spot to crank during practice earlier in the week, so I decided to stop back there even though water levels had risen after the storm passed through Tuesday night. Sure enough, I caught three keepers and 11 fish there the first day.
“The water had come up even more on the second day, and I knew it would change everything,” Digh continued. “The high water levels pushed the fish up shallow, so I caught all my fish using a jig and spinnerbait the last two days. My little crank hole got me off to a good start and gave me confidence because the first few hours were really tough.”
The remaining top six boaters and also qualifying for the BFL All-American were:
2nd: Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., 11 bass, 28-14, $1,500
3rd: Chris Martinkovic, Liberty Township, Ohio, nine bass, 27-0, $1,100
4th: Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., 12 bass, 25-8, $1,000
5th: Grayson Mathis, Aiken, S.C., 12 bass, 24-10, $900
6th: David Martin, Check, Va., nine bass, 17-6, $800
Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:
7th: James Hailstones, Cincinnati, Ohio, seven bass, 17-5, $700
8th: Kevin Edwards, Knoxville, Tenn., six bass, 17-4, $650
9th: Dave Lauer, McConnelsville, Ohio, six bass, 17-0, $600
10th: Allan Williams, Goose Creek, S.C., six bass, 15-6, $550
Brandon Booher of Bristol, Tenn., won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of six bass weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces. He took home a 198VX Ranger boat including an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor along with a berth in the BFL All-American Championship tournament.
The remaining top six co-anglers and also qualifying for the BFL All-American were:
2nd: Jason Yates, Dandridge, Tenn., nine bass, 20-15, $750
3rd: Jonathan Hankins, North Tazewell, Va., seven bass, 16-7, $550
4th: Brandon Temples, Ninety Six, S.C., seven bass, 14-15, $500
5th: Bobby Drinnon, Rogersville, Tenn., six bass, 14-10, $450
6th: Craig Dubois, Sprakers, N.Y., eight bass, 13-13, $400
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
7th: Greg Bierman, Cincinnati, Ohio, seven bass, 11-2, $350
8th: Frank Appaluccio, Sparta, N.J., six bass, 10-9, $325
9th: Jeff Warren, Lansdale, Pa., three bass, 9-9, $300
10th: Bryan C. Morton, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 8-8, $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 one of six regional tournaments and are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifes them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.