Lake Okeechobee, Florida, BFL, 15 Sept 12

[Mike Cork]

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (Sept. 17, 2012) – Santos Solis of Vero Beach, Fla., weighed a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 47 pounds, 15 ounces to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Bama Division super tournament on Lake Okeechobee in Okeechobee, Fla., on Sunday. For his victory, Solis earned $6,743.
     
     "Okeechobee was fishing really good for me," said Solis. "I was very lucky and able to find the quality fish that I needed. I had found an area on Friday that I knew would produce the fish that I needed to dominate this tournament. It was a reed line on the south end of the lake right near Cochran's Pass. That was the only area that I fished throughout the whole tournament."

     Solis targeted the Okeechobee largemouth flipping a 1-ounce Medlock Jig trailered with a black and blue-colored Gambler Ugly Otter.

     "I was flipping, using my heavy-action Halo Rod with a 65-pound-test braid line," Solis continued. "I had to be able to crank them out of the thick cover. There were two-foot swells hitting me the entire time. It was rough out there.

     "The area was pretty consistent for me," Solis went on to say. "I boated eight keepers on Saturday and eight keepers on Sunday. I have to credit Toho Marine as well, as my boat held up great in the rough water. I couldn't have done it without them."

     Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

          2nd:   Don Demott, Boca Raton, Fla., 10 bass, 44-14, $3,371
          3rd:   Brandon Medlock, Lake Placid, Fla., 10 bass, 41-11, $2,248
          4th:    Keith Fels, Ocala, Fla., 10 bass, 40-15, $1,573
          5th:    Alex Pappas, Jensen Beach, Fla., 10 bass, 39-10, $1,349 + $1,000 Evinrude Bonus
          6th:    Norman Pellegrini, Windermere, Fla., eight bass, 38-2, $1,236
          7th:    Jim Folks, Melbourne, Fla., nine bass, 37-13, $1,124
          8th:    Steven Lake, Sebring, Fla., 10 bass, 37-10, $1,011
          9th:    Kyle Walters, Grant Valkaria, Fla., 10 bass, 34-11, $899
          10th: Gary Simpson, Gainesville, Fla., 10 bass, 34-3, $787

     Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

     Charles Alley of Stuart, Fla., weighed in 10 bass totaling 32 pounds, 11 ounces Sunday to win $3,372 in the co-angler division.

     Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

          2nd:   Michael Wiles, Perry, Fla., eight bass, 29-6, $1,686
          3rd:   Brad McCullough, Ocala, Fla., 10 bass, 29-0, $1,121       
          4th:    Joe Ventrello, Orlando, Fla., 10 bass, 28-3, $787
          5th:    Raymond Riendeau, St. Cloud, Fla., 10 bass, 28-2, $674
          6th:    David Hunter, Williston, Fla., nine bass, 27-12, $618
          7th:    Thad Talley, Pompano Beach, Fla., seven bass, 24-14, $562
          8th:    Jason Pike, Royal Palm Beach, Fla., 10 bass, 24-3, $506
          9th:    Michael Davis, Lake Wales, Fla., 10 bass, 23-10, $450
          10th: Andrew Pulliam, Tampa, Fla., 10 bass, 23-3, $393

     The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 4-6 Regional Championship on Lake Seminole in Bainbridge, Ga. 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. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

[1fishhound1]

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