Troy Morrow of Toccoa, Ga., caught four bass weighing 8 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win $120,000 at the 2010 BFL All-American presented by Chevy on DeGray Lake. Morrow had a three-day catch of 14 bass weighing 38-13.
The catch gave him a solid 8-pound, 1-ounce win over Tee Watkins of East Point, Ky., who caught a total of 11 bass weighing 30-12 and earned $30,000.
“This lake fit me to a “T”,” said the self-employed Morrow, who won his first BFL All-American tournament in two tries. “I had a great practice and found over 90 spots, so I spent the entire week running the lake from spot to spot. I was fishing off shore all week with a fluke in the morning and crankbatis in the afternoon.
“I think the one thing I was doing all week differently than the locals was steadily reeling the fluke with a small quiver. That quiver made the tail move which is what got ‘em; they didn’t want anything loud, all my noise makers had rubber rattles. All my big fish I caught using a crankbait, Spro Little John DD.
“This was a life changing event for me. I can’t wait to get to the Forrest Wood Cup. Lake Lanier is only 35 minutes away from my house and I like my chances.”
Morrow opened the tournament in second place Thursday with five bass weighing 13-12. He then caught five bass weighing 16-6 on Friday to make the crucial top-10 cut in first place.
“I have been fishing by the seat of my pants all week,” said Tee Watkins, who was fishing in his first All-American and placed second. “I took a bit of a gamble and fished shallow the entire time. I knew I had to fish a perfect tournament and I lost two nice ones on day one and that is what cost me the tournament; but I am thrilled to be here and proud to finish second.”
Rounding out the top-10 boaters are:
3rd: Keith Green, Arkadelphia, Ark., 13 bass, 30-8, $16,000
4th: Chris Darby, Mount Ida, Ark., 12 bass, 29-6, $21,000*
5th: Jason Threadgill, Norwood, N.C., 14 bass, 29, $13,000
6th: Richie Eaves, Nauvoo, Ill., 13 bass, 27-1, $17,000*
7th: Brandon Palaniuk, Rathdrum, Idaho, 10 bass, 23-11, $15,500*
8th: Shonn Goodwin, Moore, Okla., 12 bass, 20-15, $$10,000
9th: Ty Garrett, Pulaski, Tenn., nine bass, 20-13, $9,000
10th Jason Grape, Southside, Ala., six bass, 19-4, $11,000*
*Includes Ranger Boat bonus
A complete list of results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Overall there were 25 bass weighing 50 pounds, 13 ounces caught by five pros Saturday. The catch included one five-bass limits.
Brett Rudy of Burlington, Iowa, won the Co-angler Division and $60,000 on Saturday with a three-day total of six bass weighing 21 pounds, 4 ounces followed by Jeremy Rasnick of Point Lookout, Mo., in second place with 12 bass weighing 18-7 worth $17,000.
“I caught my big fish at about 10 this morning. I was using a deep diving crankbait that I have never thrown before,” said Rudy, who is a firefighter/paramedic making his first BFL All-American appearance. “I am so glad this is over, now my heart can start beating normally again!”
Rudy caught one bass weighing 3-6 on Thursday while fishing with boater Eric Guimond of Standish, Maine. Today he caught his three fish while fishing with Jay Keith of Camden, S.C.
Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers are:
3rd: Matt King, Olathe, Kan., nine bass, 15-11, $6,500
4th: Ray Holloway, Snellville, Ga., nine bass, 14-11, $5,000
5th: Randy Pierson, Oakdale, Calif., six bass, 13-14, $6,000*
6th: Ben Due, Mauston, Wis., seven bass, 13-11, $4,000
7th: Jerry Pyles, Middletown, Md., eight bass 11-11, $3,500
8th: Charlie Russler, Falling Waters, W.Va., eight bass, 11-6, $4,200*
9th David Hamilton, Rogers, Ark., four bass, 9-15, $2,500
10th: Adam Williamson, Ridgeway, S.C., six bass, 9-2, $2,000
*Includes Ranger Boat bonus
Morrow and Rudy also earned a spot at the 2010 Forrest Wood Cup, the world championship of bass fishing. This year’s Forrest Wood Cup will be held Aug. 5-8 at Lake Lanier in Atlanta, Ga.
Coverage of the BFL All-American tournament will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on VERSUS. “FLW Outdoors,” will air Nov. 28 from 12:30 to 1:30 ET. “FLW Outdoors,” hosted by Jason Harper, is broadcast to approximately 500 million households worldwide.
ABOUT FLW OUTDOORS FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, visit FLWOutdoors.com or call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com. FLWOutdoors.com
