(Mar. 04, 2013 - MOUNT IDA, AR.)... Shawn Gordon of Russellville, Ark., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division event on Lake Ouachita. For his victory, Gordon earned $3,514.
"I thought I would get a check and that would be about it," said Gordon. "I didn’t think that I was going to win. Normally it takes a lot more weight to win on this lake. I think the key to my victory was slowing down and not running around too much.
"All I did was fish main lake points," Gordon continued. "If it was real windy, I would throw an XCalibur Rattle Bait, and when it was less windy, I would throw a 3/4-ounce Booyah football jig. All of my fish were in 10 feet of water or less. I was throwing out to where you could see the bottom and pulling it back to the drop-off.
"I had seven bites throughout the day and only landed five of them," Gordon went on to say. "I broke one off on a jig and lost one on a Wiggle Wart. I was pretty lucky to get the bites I did."
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
| 2nd: | Mark McDonnel | Benton, Ark. | five bass | 14-12 | $1,757 |
| 3rd: | Quincy Houchin | Mabelvale, Ark. | five bass | 14-0 | $1,172 |
| 4th: | Matthew Mize | Ben Lomond, Ark. | five bass | 12-10 | $820 |
| 5th: | Dennis Bean | Hot Springs, Ark. | five bass | 12-9 | $703 |
| 6th: | Danny Gwinn | Mount Ida, Ark. | five bass | 12-7 | $644 |
| 7th: | Cody Kelley | Conway, Ark. | three bass | 10-13 | $586 |
| 8th: | Terry Cordum | Fort Smith, Ark. | five bass | 10-7 | $527 |
| 9th: | Kevin Fant | Kirby, Ark. | five bass | 10-4 | $469 |
| 10th: | Larry Gragg | Pine Bluff, Ark. | four bass | 10-2 | $410 + Evinrude Bonus: $300 |
Josh Tittle of Warren, Ark., weighed in four bass totaling 11 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win $1,757 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
| 2nd: | Jeff Reece | Dardanelle, Ark. | five bass | 9-9 | $879 |
| 3rd: | Jason Yarbrough | Amity, Ark. | five bass | 9-7 | $585 |
| 4th: | Brian Choate | Conway, Ark. | four bass | 7-14 | $410 |
| 5th: | Daimon Mitchell | Little Rock, Ark. | three bass | 7-11 | $351 |
| 6th: | Austin Pittman | Maumelle, Ark. | two bass | 6-10 | $322 |
| 7th: | Pete Clark | Malvern, Ark. | three bass | 5-13 | $293 |
| 8th: | Tom Olson | Benton, Ark. | two bass | 5-11 | $264 |
| 9th: | Jamie Green | Hot Springs Village, Ark. | three bass | 5-9 | $234 |
| 10th: | Joe Coble | Malvern, Ark. | two bass | 5-8 | $205 |
The next BFL Arkie Division tournament is scheduled for April 6 on Millwood Lake in Ashdown, Ark. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Texoma in Pottsboro, Texas. 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. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27-29 on the Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2013 over the course of 220 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy - the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show and is broadcast to more than 559 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the "Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water." For more information about FLW visit the FLWOutdoors website and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.
