METZGER WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE LBL DIVISION FINALE ON KENTUCKY AND BARKLEY LAKES

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GILBERTSVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 28, 2015) – Kyle Metzger of Paducah, Kentucky, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 7 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League LBL Division Super Tournament on Kentucky and Barkley lakes with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 44 pounds even. For his victory, Metzger earned $5,704.

“On Saturday I ran 50 miles south to some grass near Paris where I had found some fish,” said Metzger of his second career win in FLW competition. “I used a bone-colored Picasso Shad Walker and was able to put a small limit in the boat by 10 a.m.

“Around 10 I moved to my second area, which was a flat outside of a bay just south of Paris,” continued Metzger. “It had a shell bed on one end and a ledge that stretched from 8 to 14 feet down the other. I moved up onto the shell bed and caught a 5-pounder using a swimbait on the first cast. Within 20 minutes I caught 23 pounds of bass.

“On day two I headed to the flat again. I threw the same swimbait, but the fish were hitting it a little bit different. The water was clear, so I switched to 15-pound test P-Line FloroClear and used a 7-foot Denali heavy action rod and had to jerk the bait more quickly.”

Metzger said that he then switched to a hairjig rigged with a Zoom Super Fluke to catch his last keeper and finish out his tournament.

“The fish bit it on the fall and I was able to grab my fifth keeper towards the end of the day,” said Metzger. “I had a great weekend on the water.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Kyle Metzger, Paducah, Ky., 10 bass, 44-0, $5,704

2nd:         Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., nine bass, 34-5, $2,852

3rd:          Ray Barga, Benton, Ky., nine bass, 31-11, $1,904

4th:          Matt Robertson, Central City, Ky., 10 bass, 30-3, $1,331

5th:          John Hopkins, Hendersonville, Tenn., 10 bass, 29-15, $1,141

6th:          Sam Boss, Paducah, Ky., nine bass, 29-3, $1,046

7th:          Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., 10 bass, 28-0, $951

8th:          Rob Vannerson, Benton, Ky., 10 bass, 26-15, $856

9th:          Jackson Ryley, Clinton, Ind., eight bass, 26-7, $761

10th:        Edward Gettys, Buchanan, Tenn., 10 bass, 25-11, $665

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Curtis Persinger of New Albany, Indiana, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Friday. The fish weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $757.

Derrick Mattingly of Uniontown, Kentucky, won the co-angler division and $2,852 with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Derrick Mattingly, Uniontown, Ky., 10 bass, 27-1, $2,852

2nd:         James Wathen, La Grange, Ky., seven bass, 26-5, $1,426

3rd:          Chuck Rounds, Benton, Ky., four bass, 22-4, $950

4th:          Mike Westfall, Norris City, Ill., seven bass, 16-1, $666

5th:          Jeff Johnston, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 14-12, $570

6th:          Stanley Head, Lexington, Ky., six bass, 14-7, $523

7th:          James Lee, Ledbetter, Ky., six bass, 12-6, $475

8th:          Dennis Taylor, Fulton, Ky., five bass, 11-15, $428

9th:          Jerry Sterling, Jackson, Mo., three bass, 9-12, $380

10th:        Jake Steinkuhl, Evansville, Ind., three bass, 9-10, $333

Rounds caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $379.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings now qualify for the Oct. 22-24 Regional Championship on Neely Henry Lake in Gadsden, Alabama. 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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