WEBB WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE CHOO CHOO DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE

Lawless wins co-angler title

 SCOTTSBORO, Ala. (Feb. 9, 2015) – Chris Webb of Decatur, Alabama, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 28 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win the first Walmart Bass Fishing League Choo Choo Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Guntersville. For his victory, Webb earned $6,000.

“The competition was extremely tough,” said Webb of the 150-boater field that included multiple professionals that fish on the Walmart FLW Tour. “Lake Guntersville is a difficult lake to fish, so when you can come out on top of a field like that it feels pretty good.”

To claim top honors Webb said he fished the main lake around the Goose Pond area, in a range of depths between 3 to 12 feet. He caught seven fish throughout the day using a red Rat-L-Trap, a black and blue-colored jig and a swimbait.

“I caught my first fish at 8 a.m. and one more around 9:30,” Webb said. “It was between 1 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. when I really cleaned up. The fish became more active as the temperature rose, which helped me find my rhythm.

“A lot of guys were throwing jerkbaits,” continued Webb. “I even threw one a couple times, but my original three baits were what got me the win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:           Chris Webb, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 28-8, $6,000

2^nd:          Keystone Light pro Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 27-5, $3,000

3^rd:          Josh Driver, Hiram, Ga., five bass, 24-8, $2,000

4^th:           Tim Hurst, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 24-6, $1,400

5^th:           Cameron Gautney, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 24-4, $1,200

6^th:           Alex Davis, Albertville, Ala., five bass, 23-13, $1,100

7^th:           Kevin McMahan, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 21-2, $1,000

8^th:           Tim Wilson, Gas City, Ind., five bass, 20-14, $900

9^th:           Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., five bass, 20-10, $800

10^th:        Tommy Henley, Oakfield, Tenn., five bass, 20-2, $700

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Terry Lawless of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, weighed in three bass totaling 19 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win $3,000 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:           Terry Lawless, Murfreesboro, Tenn., three bass, 19-10, $3,000

2^nd:          Randy Evett, Grant, Ala., four bass, 19-1 $1,500

3^rd:          Jack Gumbert, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 17-13, $1,000

4^th:           Jerry Armstrong, Shelbyville, Tenn., five bass, 17-9, $700

5^th:           Cory Johnson, Crane Hill, Ala., five bass, 17-6, $600

6^th:           Darrell Hester, Haleyville, Ala., three bass, 16-11, $550

7^th:           Brian Dodd, Florence, Ala., five bass, 14-11, $500

8^th:           Harold Driver, Powder Springs, Ga., four bass, 14-8, $450

9^th:           Davis Whitten, Tuscumbia, Ala., three bass, 14-2, $400

10^th:        Trent Wright, Scottsboro, Ala., five bass, 13-14, $350

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 22-24 Regional Championship on Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Ala. 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.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 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 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 Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.