EUFAULA, Ala. (Sept. 8, 2014) – Patrick Dobbins of Opelika, Ala., weighed a two-day total of 10 bass totaling 28 pounds, 15 ounces to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Bama Division super tournament on Lake Eufaula Sunday. For his victory, Dobbins earned $6,882.
“I had to run a long way up the river, probably about 30 miles,” said Dobbins, who earned the second BFL win of his career. “I was fishing laydowns with a black and blue jig. I was just picking them apart and hopping it down the laydowns and the line would move off and I’d bust them.
“There was only one other boat up there with me,” Dobbins continued. “I found the stretch that had the fish on Friday in practice. I launched my boat up there and saw some bream popping, so I went over and they were there.
“It wasn’t a specific spot. I was just going up and down the bank. The first day of the tournament I caught several 3-pounders that didn’t help me. I probably hurt my fish and should have laid off them a little.
“Going in I didn’t think I would win because the lake usually fishes really good this time of year,” finished Dobbins. “But the ledge bite was off, and a lot of the guys who were fishing the ledges only brought in two or three fish.”
Dobbins said he caught all of his fish on a black and blue-colored hand tied jig with a matching Zoom Super Chunk.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Bobby Padgett, LaGrange, Ga., eight bass, 25-7, $2,441 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
3rd: Michael Smith, Laurel Hill, Fla., 10 bass, 24-7, $1,625
4th: Jeff Cannon, Douglasville, Ga., eight bass, 24-2, $1,139
5th: Mark Holloway, Madison, Ga., nine bass, 23-1, $976
6th: Clay Elliott, Dothan, Ala., seven bass, 22-9, $895
7th: Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., nine bass, 21-13, $814
8th: Jay Grogan, Fort Mitchell, Ala., seven bass, 21-9, $732
9th: Winston Steen, Wellington, Ala., seven bass, 21-6, $651
10th: Henry Golden, Tallassee, Ala., nine bass, 20-11, $570
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Jeff Ford of Trion, Ga., weighed in a two-day total of nine bass totaling 19 pounds, 13 ounces to win $2,441 in the co-angler division Sunday.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Steven Simpson, Jasper, Ala., nine bass, 18-0, $1,220
3rd: Gary Marlowe, Montgomery, Ala., six bass, 15-2, $814
4th: Ralph Moseley, Crestview, Fla., five bass, 12-13, $570
5th: Shawn Diehl, Harvest, Ala., six bass, 11-12, $488
6th: Sergio Render, Newnan, Ga., six bass, 11-7, $447
7th: Chris Hawkins, Adger, Ala., seven bass, 10-6, $407
8th: Drew Hobgood, Sharpsburg, Ga., four bass, 9-15, $366
9th: Zack Thaggard, Dadeville, Ala., six bass, 9-15, $325
10th: Christopher Kanute, Warrior, Ala., six bass, 9-13, $285
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 2-4 Regional Championship on the St. John’s River in Palatka, Fla. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, 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 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 Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
