Lake Okeechobee Bass Fishing League 5 Jan 15

[Mike Cork]

TOWNEND WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE GATOR DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE

Forthun wins co-angler title

CLEWISTON, Fla. (Jan. 5, 2015) – Benny Townend of Boynton Beach, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 27 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the first Walmart Bass Fishing League Gator Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Okeechobee. For his victory, Townend earned $6,000.


Benny Townend of Boynton Beach, Fla., won the January 3 Gator Division event on Lake Okeechobee with a limit weighing 27 pounds, 9 ounces to earn a $6,000 payday.

"This tournament is something I've been practicing hard for," said Townend, who earned the first victory of his career. "I did my best to stay focused and not worry about what the other boaters were catching."

Over the course of the day Townend found success on the south end of the lake. He said that he pitched a ½-ounce green-pumpkin colored Gambler Why Not in the open pockets of the wiregrass. In between the pockets Townend relied on swimbaits to reach a quick limit.

"I knew that I could catch 18 or 19 pounds down there," added Townend. "After that I just needed a big one, and I found her."

Around 2 p.m., Townend pulled into a familiar spot and nabbed a 10-pound, 2-ounce behemoth to seal the victory.

"I grabbed a Heroic flipping stick and pitched the Why Not down the first pockethole in the needlegrass. It went maybe an inch below the surface and I set the hook," said Townend. "I reached down there to grab it and was speechless."

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:           Benny Townend, Boynton Beach, Fla., five bass, 27-9, $6,000
2nd:          Robert Crosnoe, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 25-7, $3,000
3rd:          Paul Malone, Pleasant Valley, Iowa, five bass, 22-5, $2,000
4th:           Ken Fitton, Loxahatchee, Fla., five bass, 21-15, $1,400
5th:           Jim Gestwicki, Miami, Fla., five bass, 21-13, $1,200
6th:           Dillon McMillan, Belle Glade, Fla., five bass, 20-14, $1,100
7th:           Jason Jastrzemski, Wellington, Fla., five bass, 20-4, $1,000
8th:           Don Demott, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 19-14, $900
9th:           George Kapiton, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 19-13, $800
10th:        Charles Bass, Felda, Fla., five bass, 19-1, $700
               
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com

Jesse Forthun of Cape Coral, Florida, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $3,000 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:           Jesse Forthun, Cape Coral, Fla., five bass, 16-15, $3,000
2nd:          Scott Stoll, Saint Cloud, Fla, five bass, 16-10, $1,500
3rd:          James Brooks, Inverness, Fla., five bass, 16-8, $1,000
4th:           Evan Barnes, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 15-2, $700
5th:           Ernie Thompson, Anthony, Fla., five bass, 14-14, $600
6th:           Brad McCullough, Ocala, Fla., five bass,14-10,  $550
7th:           Jessey Rudolph, Deltona, Fla., five bass, 14-5, $500
8th:           Coleman Roberts, Ft. Myers, Fla., five bass, 13-10, $450
9th:           James Bass, Felda, Fla., five bass, 13-7, $400
10th:        Garry Moore, Jacksonville, Fla., five bass, 13-5, $332
10th:        Robbie Sanger, Lakeland, Fla., five bass, 13-5, $332

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Georgia. 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.

[MCS]

Gambler lures! That was a sweet fish he got the head was massive.