POTTSBORO, Texas (Oct. 21, 2013) – Jeff Reynolds of Calera, Okla., won the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Regional tournament on Lake Texoma with a three-day total of 15 bass totaling 42 pounds, 2 ounces. For his victory, Reynolds 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, Okie and Ozark divisions.
Reynolds said he used a topwater bait, local knowledge and a lot of gas to pick up his second BFL win of 2013 and qualify for the All-American.
“I just turned 40 and I’ve lived here since I was born,” said Reynolds. “I’ve fished here all my life. It kind of threw me for a loop; normally by this time in October the fish have moved back into the creeks and they’re pretty easy to catch.
“My biggest key was super-, super-shallow water,” continued Reynolds. “The gizzard shad were up on little bitty flat points – really, really shallow points. It was mainly a timing deal; you had to be there at the right time. I bet I hit 50 spots per day. I burned a lot of gas running and gunning.
“When the sun came out the bass would get more on the points that had something on them and hold closer to that cover,” said Reynolds. “When it was cloudy or morning they would be roaming.
“I caught a mix of smallmouth and largemouth,” added Reynolds. “I had a few places I knew had smallmouth that I would hit a bunch of times during the day, because I knew if I caught one it would be a good one.
“I’m pretty excited,” finished Reynolds. “For a weekend angler that makes your year – winning that much money in one tournament, that’s huge.”
Reynolds said he caught most of his fish on a Livingston Lures Pro Sizzle and three of his fish on a Zoom Fluke.
The top six boaters that qualified for the BFL All-American were:
1st: Jeff Reynolds, Calera, Okla., 15 bass, 42-2, Ranger Z518 with 200-horsepower outboard + Chevy 1500 Silverado
2nd: Todd Castledine, Nacogdoches, Texas, 15 bass, 41-6, $1,500
3rd: Don McFarlin, Gordonville, Texas, 15 bass, 40-14, $1,100
4th: Justin Phillips, Checotah, Okla., 12 bass, 38-0, $1,000
5th: Gene Robertson, Ardmore, Okla., 15 bass, 35-0, $900
6th: Chris McCall, Brookland, Texas, 11 bass, 33-1, $800 + Evinrude Bonus: $300
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
7th: Jim Tutt, Longview, Texas, 15 bass, 32-15, $700 + Evinrude Bonus: $300
8th: Steve Ruff, Wentzville, Mo., 14 bass, 32-8, $650
9th: Shawn Kowal, Linn Creek, Mo., 13 bass, 31-13, $600
10th: Matt Pangrac, Norman, Okla., 15 bass, 31-5, $550
Jason Adair of Roff, Okla., won the co-angler division with a three-day total of 10 bass totaling 21 pounds, 10 ounces. For his efforts, Adair took home a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard along with a berth in the BFL All-American tournament.
The top six co-anglers that qualified for the BFL All-American were:
1st: Jason Adair, Roff, Okla., 10 bass, 21-10, Ranger Z518 with 200-horsepower outboard
2nd: Evan Barnes, London, Ark., nine bass, 19-12, $750
3rd: Nathan McCartney, Waukomis, Okla., nine bass, 19-12, $550
4th: David Blackstock, The Colony, Texas, nine bass, 19-11, $500
5th: Nathan Colwell, Pryor, Okla., 10 bass, 18-7, $450
6th: Daniel Brock, Anna, Texas, seven bass, 17-14, $400
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
7th: Cory Miller, Marlow, Okla., eight bass, 17-1, $350
8th: Russell Richmond, Little Rock, Ark., four bass, 16-4, $325
9th: Jason Letterman, McKinney, Texas, five bass, 14-8, $300
10th: Kevin Turner, Sand Springs, Okla., six bass, 14-1, $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 are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for the BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.