BEATTY WINS T-H MARINE BASS FISHING LEAGUE GATOR DIVISION OPENER ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE PRESENTED BY NAVIONICS

Chadwick tops co-angler field

 Robert Beatty of Clermont, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 27 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the first T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) Gator Division tournament of 2017 on Lake Okeechobee presented by Navionics. For his victory, Beatty took home $8,200.

“I started out the morning pitching into flattened reed clumps at the East Wall,” said Beatty, who earned his seventh career win in FLW competition. “I rotated between a couple of different baits that were the same shadow-blue color – a Gambler Lures BB Cricket and a Gambler Why Not. By 8:30 a.m. I had a limit that included two 4-pounders and a 5-pounder.”

Beatty said he preferred to use 1- and 2-ounce weights, depending on how thick the cover was.

“In the afternoon I headed up to the Shoal and targeted hydrilla and hyacinth,” said Beatty. “I caught two of my biggest bass there, and was culling 4-pound fish by the end of the tournament.”

Beatty said he ended up catching 20 to 25 keepers throughout the event.

“I’ve got to credit my Ranger boat and Minn Kota trolling motor for getting me to where I needed to be,” said Beatty. “They’re very reliable products.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in

           1st:          Robert Beatty, Clermont, Fla., five bass, 27-10, $6,200 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

               2^nd:         Neal Stark, Davie, Fla., five bass, 23-2, $3,000

               3^rd:          Justin Morgan, Okeechobee, Fla., five bass, 22-13, $3,100

               4^th:          Don Demott, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 21-11, $1,400

               5^th:          Jason Smith, Dawson, Ga., five bass, 21-5, $1,200

               6^th:          Benny Townend, Boynton Beach, Fla., five bass, 20-9, $1,100

               7^th:          Ken Fitton, Loxahatchee, Fla., five bass, 19-14, $1,000

               8^th:          Cody Davis, Deerfield Beach, Fla., five bass, 19-12, $900

               9^th:          Casey Martin, New Hope, Ala., five bass, 19-11, $800

               10^th:        Greg Harp, Vero Beach, Fla., five bass, 19-8, $700

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.  

Morgan caught the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – a nice 8-pound, 5-ounce largemouth – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $1000.

Michael Chadwick of Labelle, Florida, weighed in five bass totaling 18 pounds, 6 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $3,000.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

               1^st:          Michael Chadwick, Labelle, Fla., five bass, 18-6, $3,000

               2^nd:         Moses Wilson, Clewiston, Fla., five bass, 17-12, $1,500

               3^rd:          Jay Trudel, Boca Raton, Fla., five bass, 15-7, $1,000

               4^th:          Nik Kayler, Apopka, Fla., five bass, 15-3, $900

               5^th:          John Trudel, Lighthouse Point, Fla., five bass, 14-13, $600

               6^th:          Jake Stark, Davie, Fla., five bass, 14-9, $550

               7^th:          Shawn York, Sarasota, Fla., four bass, 14-5, $1,000

               8^th:          Loel Brandstrom, Jensen Beach, Fla., five bass, 13-11, $425

               8^th:          Mitchell Layell, Sarasota, Fla., five bass, 13-11, $425

               10^th:        Chris Baker, Wesley Chapel, Fla., five bass, 12-14, $400

York caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, weighing 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $500.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.