Greers Ferry Bass Fishing League 14 Mar 15

[Mike Cork]

HUGHAN WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE ARKIE DIVISION EVENT ON GREERS FERRY LAKE

Liles wins co-angler title

GREERS FERRY, Ark. (March 16, 2015) – William Hughan of Little Rock, Arkansas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division tournament of 2015 on Greers Ferry Lake. For his victory, Hughan earned $4,350.


William Hughan of Little Rock, Ark., won the March 14 Arkie Division event on Greers Ferry with a 14-pound, 4-ounce limit to earn a check worth over $4,300. (FLW)

"Its nerve wracking until the end of weigh-in, because you never know if someone will edge you with a little bit heavier weight," said Hughan.

After a shaky Friday practice, Hughan found the fish he needed to earn the win on Saturday. He stopped at a spot in the Middle Fork area and caught his first keeper using a Rapala crankbait. After four or five hours, Hughan had caught around 10 keeper bass but still lacked the kicker that he knew he needed to win.

"I didn't really realize how much weight I had in the livewell. I usually am just paying attention to the smallest fish in hopes of culling. After a while I was looking for one more upgrade," Hughan said.

Around 1 p.m., Hughan started working his way back to the main lake, citing water clarity as his guide.

"I was looking for water that was stained but not muddy," Hughan said.

The Arkansas angler was able to find what he was looking for, and boated his last keeper on a white and chartreuse-colored Revenge spinnerbait. It was a smallmouth bass that increased his weight by nearly a pound.

"I knew then I probably would be in contention for the win," Hughan. "It was the kicker I needed. Everything came together at the right time."

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          William Hughan, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 14-4, $4,350
2nd:         Greg Ault, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 11-7, $2,175
3rd:          Dustin Blevins, Harrison, Ark., five bass, 8-12, $1,451
4th:          Adam Wright, Benton, Ark., four bass, 8-11, $1,015
5th:          Zach Bane, Heber Springs, Ark., three bass, 8-6, $870
6th:          Devin Baxley, North Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 7-13, $798
7th:          Ryan Satterfield, Texarkana, Ark., 6-13, three bass, $725
8th:          Kevin Late, Pocahontas, Ark., three bass, 6-7, $653
9th:          Will Cranston, North Little Rock, Ark., three bass, 5-10, $580
10th:        Allan Reaves, Pottsville, Ark., one bass, 5-3, $508

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Reaves caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division and earned the day's Big Bass award of $615.

Bobby Liles of Texarkana, Arkansas, weighed in four bass totaling 6 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win $2,140 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Bobby Liles, Texarkana, Ark., four bass, 6-8, $2,140
2nd:         Johnny Manning, Arkadelphia, Ark., three bass, 5-7, $1,070
3rd:          Jeff Reece, Dardanelle, Ark., two bass, 5-5, $712
4th:          Tommy McCullar, Benton, Ark., two bass, 5-1, $499
5th:          Russ Scalf, Ward, Ark., two bass, 4-8, $428
6th:          Craig Wilson, Knobel, Ark.,  two bass, 4-6, $392
7th:          A.J. Mays, Sherwood, Ark., two bass, 4-4, $357
8th:          Caleb Kelly, Little Rock, Ark., one bass, 3-11, $321
9th:          Bryan Barnard, Harrison, Ark., two bass, 3-9, $285
10th:        Trevor Wood, Pine Bluff, Ark., one bass, 3-3, $250

Kelly caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day's Big Bass award of $302.

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.