Tournament Trail

HICKS WINS FLW BFL CHOO CHOO DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE GUNTERSVILLE

by FLW News February 17, 2016

Derek Hicks of Rocky Face, GA weighed a five-bass limit totaling 25 pounds, 3 ounces, Saturday to win the first FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Choo Choo Division tournament of 2016 on Lake Guntersville. For his victory, Hicks took home $6,133.

Hicks said he primarily focused on an area on the north end of the lake – a shallow shell bed with a ditch running through the middle of it.

“On my third cast I caught a 7-pound fish, which was a great way to start the day,” said Hicks who earned his first win in BFL competition. “I used a white XCalibur Xr50 Rattle Bait and fished it really slow. I’d let it fall, pull up a little, wind it and stop it. The main thing is that I wanted to feel the bottom.

“I hit a flurry between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and caught 13 keepers,” said Hicks. “That was the stretch that ended up producing the remainder of my winning stringer.”

The Georgia angler said his fishing rod was crucial to his success.

“The rod I used really made the difference,” said Hicks. “It was a medium-heavy Halo Fishing Cranking II Series Rod and it worked great. I could get the bait in there with the rod and it wouldn’t jerk it away from the fish.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

               1^st:          Derek Hicks, Rocky Face, Ga., five bass, 25-3, $6,133

               2^nd:         Mark McCaig, Oxford, Ala., five bass, 23-7, $2,566

               3^rd:          Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 21-1, $1,710

               4^th:          Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 20-3, $1,498

               5^th:          Cameron Gautney, Muscle Shoals, Ala., five bass, 19- 6, $1,027

               6^th:          Eric Foister, Clarksville, Tenn., five bass, 17-14, $941

               7^th:          Ryan McIntosh, Patriot, Ind., five bass, 17-13, $727

               7^th:          Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 17-13, $727

               7^th:          Kent Keys, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 17-13, $727

               7^th:          Brad Harmon, Ringgold, Ga., three bass, 17-13, $727

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.  

Brent Barnes of Chattanooga, Tennessee, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a mammoth largemouth weighing 11 pounds, 3 ounces and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $800.

Marcus Corbett of Anniston, Alabama, weighed in five bass totaling 19 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday to earn $2,566 and win the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

             1^st:          Marcus Corbett, Anniston, Ala., five bass, 19-3, $2,566

            2^nd:         Jacob Feltman, Birmingham, Ala., five bass, 16-12, $1,283

             3^rd:          Daniel Crockett, Old Hickory, Tenn., five bass, 16-4, $855

             4^th:          Brennon Binkley, Franklin, Tenn., four bass, 14-8, $599

             5^th:          Scott Miller, Burlington, Wis., five bass, 14-1, $513

             6^th:          Richard Roberson, Hanceville, Ala., four bass, 13-11, $471

             7^th:          Chase Dorsett, Odenville, Ala., five bass, 13-7, $428

             8^th:          Derek Holly, Johnson City, Tenn., four bass, 12- 6, $385

             9^th:          Brandon Johnson, Odenville, Ala., four bass, 11-5, $342

           10^th:        Ryan Sweeney, Springville, Ala., three bass, 9-4, $299

Donald Groves of Rocky Face, Georgia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 1 ounce and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $400.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 13-15 Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, 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.