(Jun. 11, 2012 - MORRISTOWN, TN.)... David Mullins of Mount Carmel, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division event on Lake Cherokee. For his victory, Mullins earned $3,418 plus a $1,000 Mercury bonus.
"Both my co-angler and I were able to catch a quick limit on Saturday using crankbaits and a Carolina rig," said Mullins. "About 9:30 I moved to another spot to try and catch better quality fish. I caught two 5-pounders on back-to-back casts with a swimbait."
Mullins said the key to his victory was his Lowrance electronics that enabled him to locate deep fish. He was fishing in about 25 feet of water and said the fish were at about 20 feet.
"The real challenge on Cherokee is finding the quality fish, as the bass like to roam on this lake," Mullins continued. "I had located several schools I thought I could run on Saturday and was fortunate to find a hole that held two kicker bass for me.
Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:
| 2nd: | Kevin Powers | Unicoi, Tenn. | five bass | 15-15 | $1,709 |
| 3rd: | Kevin Edwards | Knoxville, Tenn. | five bass | 14-14 | $968 |
| 3rd: | Jack Faulkner II | Jacksboro, Tenn. | five bass | 14-14 | $968 |
| 5th: | Guy Sams | Elizabethton, Tenn. | five bass | 14-11 | $684 |
| 6th: | Rex Huff | Corbin, Ky. | five bass | 14-5 | $627 |
| 7th: | Joe Lee | Knoxville, Tenn. | five bass | 14-0 | $570 |
| 8th: | Bobby Ferguson | Chuckey, Tenn. | five bass | 13-15 | $484 |
| 8th: | Jimbo Harris | Maryville, Tenn. | five bass | 13-15 | $484 |
| 10th: | Jonathan Henry | Grant Ala. | five bass | 13-6 | $399 |
Jonathan Saddler of Bristol, Tenn., weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win $1,628 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
| 2nd: | Jonathan Hankins | North Tazewell, Va. | five bass | 10-15 | $814 |
| 3rd: | Chris Seese | Lenoir City, Tenn. | five bass | 10-11 | $542 |
| 4th: | Jason Yates | Dandridge, Tenn. | five bass | 10-2 | $380 |
| 5th: | Kevin Simmons | Christiansburg, Va. | five bass | 10-1 | $326 |
| 6th: | David Shreve | Knoxville, Tenn. | five bass | 10-0 | $298 |
| 7th: | Colby Frost | Abingdon, Va. | three bass | 9-5 | $271 |
| 8th: | Justin McGaha | Knoxville, Tenn. | five bass | 8-1 | $244 |
| 9th: | Joshua Metz | Knoxville, Tenn. | four bass | 8-4 | $217 |
| 10th: | Richard Wolfe | White Pine, Tenn. | four bass | 8-3 | $190 |
The next BFL Volunteer Division tournament is scheduled for Sept. 8-9 on Watts Bar Lake in Rockwood, Tenn. After the fifth Volunteer Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 18-20 Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 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 EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
ABOUT FLW
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