BRYAN WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE VOLUNTEER DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE CHICKAMAUGA

HIXSON, Tenn. (April 20, 2015) – Burton Bryan of Sevierville, Tennessee, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Chickamauga. For his victory, Bryan earned $4,046.

“I just went out there and stuck to my strategy and it ended up working well,” said Bryan.

Bryan spent his day fishing the mouths of creeks where bass were moving into shallow waters to spawn. He said that all of his fish were caught in less than five feet of water.

“I was targeting slick banks that no one had touched yet,” said Bryan. “A lot of the anglers had been practicing on the lake for three or four days, so I really wanted to find an area that wasn’t worked over.

“I picked a green pumpkin-colored YUM F2 Dinger and on the second cast I caught a 4-pounder,” said Bryan. “After that I noticed the fish were finicky and not biting like they should be so I switched to a wacky-rig.

“My strategy was to take it slow. It’s all about the slow presentation,” continued Bryan. “Just throw the worm out, let it sit, drag it four inches, and then let it sit again. After a while it would take off and start swimming sideways.

“I ended up catching a ton of fish but only had about nine keepers,” said Bryan. “I guess they were the right ones.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Burton Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 15-9, $4,046

2nd:         Rogne Brown, Hixson, Tenn., five bass, 14-6, $2,023

3rd:          Wes Tilley, Andersonville, Tenn., three bass, 14-1, $1,348

4th:          Shawn Strader, Rockwood, Tenn., four bass, 13-11, $944

5th:          Michael Johnson, Gray, Tenn., four bass, 13-0, $809

6th:          Brandon Roop, Dayton, Tenn., five bass, 12-4, $742

7th:          Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 12-3, $674

8th:          Dale Pelfrey, Rockwood, Tenn., five bass, 10-11, $607

9th:          Perry Dawson, Spring City, Tenn., four bass, 10-9, $539

10th:        Kevin McKamey, Clinton, Tenn., three bass, 10-6, $472

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Strader caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces, and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $555.

Chris Seese of Lenoir City, Tennessee, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win $2,023 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Chris Seese, Lenoir City, Tenn., five bass, 15-7, $2,023

2nd:         Jason Lake, Barbourville, Ky., five bass, 15-0, $1,011

3rd:          Michael King, Bristol, Va., five bass, 13- 3, $674

4th:          Donnie Holder, Mooresburg, Tenn., three bass, 6-13, $472

5th:          Josh Osborne, Bristol, Va., three bass, 6-7, $405

6th:          Justin McGaha, Knoxville, Tenn., three bass, 6-3, $371

7th:          Patrick McClenahan, Chattanooga, Tenn., one bass, 5-15, $337

8th:          Nick Coker, Knoxville, Tenn., two bass, 5-14, $303

9th:          Jon Saylor, Johnson City, Tenn., three bass, 5-11, $270

10th:        Dustin Dyer, Knoxville, Tenn., two bass, 5-10, $236

McClenahan caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $277.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Lake Wateree in Camden, South Carolina. 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.

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