Broken Bow Lake BFL 5 mar 2012

[Mike Cork]

Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Okla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Okie Division event on Broken Bow Lake. For his victory, Goodwin earned $4,926.
     
"They bit pretty much all day," said Goodwin. "I had good luck in practice, and I was able to keep a really good bite going throughout the day. I fished my first bass tournament on Broken Bow 20 years ago. I was returning to the marina in that tournament with two minutes to go, and I had four bass. Right near the marina, there is a little point that I decided to make one last cast to, and it worked. I caught my fifth fish and filled my limit that day. So now, 20 years later, once my number was called I idled over about 50 yards to that same point and by the time the next boat was called I was already fighting a four pounder. I was able to catch four out of there, so it was a great start to my day.

"I was throwing crawfish-colored crankbaits and spinnerbaits on points and creeks on the lower end of the lake," Goodwin went on to say. "We were fishing real shallow, from 2 feet down to about 6 or 7 feet. It was beautiful weather - sunny and warm and a good north wind that really helped the bite on the points. I didn't catch quite as many during the tournament as I did in practice, but it was still very good. I haven't missed an Okie division BFL in several years, and I'm already looking forward to the next one."

Rounding out the top 10 pros were:


Shonn Goodwin of Moore, Okla., finished in first place at the March 3 Walmart BFL Okie Division event

          2nd:   Lee Wade, Oklahoma City, Okla., five bass, 16-10, $1,963
          3rd:   Brandon Mosley, Choctaw, Okla., five bass, 16-5, $1,309
          4th:    Joe Erwin, Claremore, Okla., five bass, 14-2, $916
          5th:    Allen Rude, Wynnewood, Okla., five bass, 13-13, $785
          6th:    Brad Hallman, Norman, Okla., five bass, 13-10, $720
          7th:    Roy Whisenhunt, Valliant, Okla., five bass, 13-6, $654 + $1,000 Evinrude Bonus
          8th:    Mark Williamson, Pineland, Texas, five bass, 13-3, $589
          9th:    Gary Read, Mustang, Okla., five bass, 13-0, $523
          10th: Dan West, Ada, Okla., five bass, 12-12, $458

Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

T.J. Martin of Broken Arrow, Okla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $1,963 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

          2nd:   David Blankenship, Cushing, Okla., five bass, 12-2, $981
          3rd:   Justin Parchman, Broken Arrow, Okla., five bass, 11-12, $655
          4th:    Donnie Cox, Chouteau, Okla., five bass, 11-6, $458
          5th:    Matthew Clark, Norman, Okla., five bass, 10-12, $393
          6th:    Derek Brooks, Atoka, Okla., five bass, 10-9, $360
          7th:    Justin Curnutte, Grove, Okla., five bass, 10-3, $327
          8th:    Farrell Coppin, Muskogee, Okla., five bass, 9-12, $278
          8th:    John David Jamison, Muskogee, Okla., four bass, 9-12, $278
          10th: Brad Reynolds, Lowell, Ark., four bass, 9-11, $229

The next BFL Okie Division tournament is scheduled for March 31 on Lake Eufaula in Eufaula, Okla. After the fifth Okie Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 18-20 Regional Championship on the Red River in Natchitoches, La. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 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 40 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 presented by Chevy. The 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.