BATY WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE BULLDOG DIVISION EVENT ON LAKE SEMINOLE

                                                                                          

BAINBRIDGE, Ga. (May 11, 2015) – Matt Baty of Attapulgus, Georgia, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League Bulldog Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Seminole. For his victory, Baty earned $4,718.

“It was a great day of fishing,” said Baty. “All my spots were firing like I hoped they would.”

Baty said he started his day off fishing hydrilla-covered shallow humps using a nasty shad-colored Spro Fat John 60 crankbait.

“I targeted spots near where the Chattahoochee River and Flint River dump into the main lake, specifically where the humps were five to seven feet deep,” Baty said.

Around noon, Baty said he switched to fishing deep ledges in 20 to 25 feet of water using a nasty shad-colored Spro Little John crankbait. Within the hour, he caught two 5-pounders.

“I caught nine keepers throughout the day but those two big ones put me over the top,” Baty said. “Hopefully I can keep this momentum going into my next BFL tournament.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Matt Baty, Attapulgus, Ga., five bass, 22-15, $3,718 + $1,000 Mercury Bonus

2^nd:         Terry Stevens, Marianna, Fla., five bass, 21-0, $1,859

3^rd:          Stephen McLemore, Lynn Haven, Fla., five bass, 20-12, $1,238

4^th:          Steve Stanfill, Dawsonville, Ga., five bass, 20-7, $867

5^th:          Karey Dickerson, Dahlonega, Ga., five bass, 20-2, $744

6^th:          David Nichol, Gainesville, Ga., five bass, 19-5, $682

7^th:          Lee Nunnally, Monroe, Ga., five bass, 17-0, $620

8^th:          Brad Hambric, Leesburg, Ga., five bass, 16-10, $558

9^th:          James Bernard, Madison, Fla., five bass, 16-6, $496

10^th:        Bryan Thurman, Bonifay, Fla., five bass, 15-15, $434

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Bryan Hinkle of Cumming, Georgia, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $485.

Greg Jeter of Bainbridge, Georgia, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds even Saturday to win $1,859 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Greg Jeter, Bainbridge, Ga ., five bass, 20-0, $1,859

2^nd:         Wayne Christopher, Huntsville, Ala., four bass, 15-13, $929

3^rd:          Steve Hall, Mableton, Ga., five bass  , 14-11, $619

4^th:          Brandon Padilla, Atlanta, Ga., five bass, 14-10, $434

5^th:          Max Gresham, Adel, Ga., five bass, 14-1, $372

6^th:          Tony Syfrett, Chipley, Fla., five bass, 13-15, $341

7^th:          Daniel Buswell Jr., Fayetteville, Ga., four bass, 10-14, $294

7^th:          Jeff Stone, Jackson, Ga., four bass, 10-14, $294

9^th:          Darryl Johnson, Flowery Branch, Ga., five bass, 10-4, $248

10^th:        Jimmie Bailey, Valdosta, Ga., two bass, 10-0, $217

Christopher caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $242.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will 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.