Lake Dardanelle Bass Fishing League 11 April 2015

[Mike Cork]

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. (April 13, 2015) –Shawn Gordon of Russellville, Arkansas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Dardanelle. For his victory, Gordon earned $7,244.


Shawn Gordon of Russellville, Ark., won the April 11 Arkie Division event on Lake Dardanelle with a 19-pound, 7-ounce limit to claim a check worth over $7,200 for his efforts. (FLW)

"It feels great to take home a check," said Gordon. "To see the all of the hard work that I put in practicing pay off is really nice."

Gordon said he targeted shallow grass in mid lake and lower-lake areas. He threw watermelon red- and green pumpkin-colored Yum Swim'n Dingers.

"The postspawn fish were really active," said Gordon.

Around 9 a.m., Gordon switched techniques to flipping grass and wood.

"The fish were also spawning so I switched to a Junebug-colored Yum Baits Lizard," said Gordon. "It ended up working well for me. I caught nine keepers throughout the day."

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

          1st:          Shawn Gordon, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 19-7, $4,244 + $2,000 Ranger Cup + $1,000 Mercury Bonus   
          2nd:         Dustin Blevins, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 18-3, $2,122
          3rd:          Brandon Lee, Ratcliff, Ark., five bass, 18-0, $1,413
          4th:          Tommy Huddleston, Atkins, Ark., five bass, 17-15, $990
          5th:          Von Kinsey, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 17-13, $849
          6th:          Huey Applegate, Jessieville, Ark., five bass, 17-7, $778
          7th:          Drew Dawson, Pocahontas, Ark., five bass, 17-3, $707
          8th:          Jason Lieblong, Conway, Ark., five bass, 16-10, $637
          9th:          Dustin Huggins, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 16-9, $566
         10th:        Allen Fullbright, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 16-6, $495
             
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com. 

Dennis Bean of Hot Springs, Arkansas, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces, and earned the day's Big Bass award of $600.

Dusty Rhoades of Gravelly, Arkansas, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds even Saturday to win $2,122 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

               1st:          Dusty Rhoades, Gravelly, Ark., five bass, 16-0, $2,122
               2nd:         Johnny Payne, Leslie, Ark., five bass, 15-3, $1,061
               3rd:          Frank Leone, Pottsville, Ark., five bass, 12-14, $707
               4th:          Cameron Ivie, Bryant, Ark., four bass, 11-10, $495
               5th:          Kelly Shamlin Jr., Benton, Ark., five bass, 11-4, $424
               6th:          Keeton Blaylock, Benton, Ark., five bass, 11-0, $389
               7th:          Bryan Barnard, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 10-15, $354
               8th:          Michael Lucas, Forrest City, Ark., four bass, 10-6, $318
               9th:          Tyler Pearson, Clarksville, Ark., three bass, 10-2, $283
               10th:        Pete Clark, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 10-0, $248

Josh Penn of Benton, Arkansas, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day's Big Bass award of $300.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 22-24 Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. 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.