RAGAN WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE GATOR DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE OKEECHOBEE

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OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (Aug. 31, 2015) – Thadeus Ragan of West Park, Florida, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 26 pounds, 8 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Gator Division Super Tournament on Lake Okeechobee with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 47 pounds, 10 ounces. For his victory, Ragan earned $6,922.

“I was catching them along a half-mile stretch of hydrilla in the northwest corner of the lake,” said Ragan of his first win in FLW competition. “I was looking for thick patches that still had some scattered hydrilla on the edges.

“On day one I stopped hitting the area around 1 p.m. so the fish could replenish,” continued Ragan. “I was hooking bass in the 4-pound range and was culling 4-pounders as well, so I knew I needed to take it easy.”

Ragan said his primary baits were a black hollow-bodied frog and a chartreuse-colored Heddon Zara Spook which he fished in approximately 3½ feet of water.

“The fishing on day two was much more difficult,” said Ragan. “I actually lost four big bites each day, but when you’re using a hollow-bodied frog, that will happen.

“Over the course of the tournament, the bite seemed to pick up around 11 o’clock,” continued Ragan. “Beyond that I’d get a bite here and there. It was pretty scattered throughout the day.

“I’d like to thank Aqua Tech Marine in Palm Bay, Florida,” said Ragan. “They set me up with a boat and all of the right equipment. They were a big part of the win.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st:          Thadeus Ragan, West Park, Fla., 10 bass, 47-10, $6,922

2nd:         Nathan Thomas, Weirsdale, Fla., 10 bass, 44-1, $3,461

3rd:          Austin Murray, Deland, Fla., 10 bass, 41-5, $2,306

4th:          Keith Burden, Seminole, Fla., 10 bass, 39-0, $1,615

5th:          Kail Stevens, Boynton Beach, Fla., nine bass, 38-14, $1,384

6th:          Ken Fitton, Loxahatchee, Fla., 10 bass, 37-6, $1,269

7th:          Raymond Trudeau, Saint Cloud, Fla., 10 bass, 36-8, $1,154

8th:          Matthew Wieteha, Miami, Fla., 10 bass, 35-4, $1,038

9th:          Ty Fox, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., 10 bass, 34-7, $923

10th:        Corey Roberts, Fort Myers, Fla., 10 bass, 33-15, $808

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Keith Fels of Ocala, Florida, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 9 pounds, 3 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $1,020.

Doug Glisson of Clewiston, Florida, won the co-angler division and $3,461 with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 40 pounds, 1 ounce.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st:          Doug Glisson, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 40-1, $3,461

2nd:         Ernie Thompson, Anthony, Fla., 10 bass, 38-15, $1,730

3rd:          Brandon Branch, Crystal River, Fla., 10 bass, 33-6, $1,154

4th:          David Gallant, Inverness, Fla., 10 bass, 32-10, $808

5th:          Phillip Ford, Clewiston, Fla., 10 bass, 31-9, $692

6th:          Antoni Bicy, Jacksonville, Fla., 10 bass, 29-11, $635

7th:          Jason Pike, Greenacres, Fla., 10 bass, 28-0, $577

8th:          Jay Trudel, Boca Raton, Fla., 10 bass, 27-8, $519

9th:          Jesse Forthun, Cape Coral, Fla., 10 bass, 27-6, $461

10th:        Robert Lauffer, Clermont, Fla., nine bass, 26-15, $404

Branch caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $510.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings now qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Georgia. 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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