COLLINS WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE COWBOY DIVISION EVENT ON SAM RAYBURN RESERVOIR

BROOKELAND, Texas (May 11, 2015) – Albert Collins of Nacogdoches, Texas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 22 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division tournament of 2015 on Sam Rayburn Reservoir. For his victory, Collins earned $5,271.

“I spent a lot of time practicing for this tournament so to start the week off with a little more money in my pocket is great,” said Collins.

The Texas angler said he targeted postspawn bass that were pulled back in front of bushes near mid-lake points.

“They congregated near where the shad were spawning,” said Collins. “I was getting a lot of bites but most of them were too small. In fact, I never caught multiple good-sized fish in one spot so I ended up running to a lot of different points.”

Collins said nearly every fish he caught came on a California Love-colored Missile Baits D Stroyer.

“I focused on two different depth ranges – 9 to 12 feet, and 18 feet. In those depths, the D Stroyer worked really well,” said Collins. “I caught around 20 keepers throughout the day so it was very productive.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Albert Collins, Nacogdoches, Texas, five bass, 22-2, $4,271 + $1,000 Mercury Bonus

2^nd:         Cody Martin, Goldonna, La., five bass, 19-14, $2,136

3^rd:          Charles Hammack, New Caney, Texas, five bass, 16-6, $1,424

4^th:          Clint Lipham, Conroe, Texas, five bass, 16-2, $997

5^th:          Chris McCall, Brookeland, Texas, five bass, 15-13, $854

6^th:          Cole Garrett, Winnfield, La., five bass, 15-12, $783

7^th:          Blake Schroeder, Whitehouse, Texas, five bass, 15-9, $712

8^th:          Kevin Lasyone, Dry Prong, La., five bass, 15-5, $641

9^th:          Colt Farris, Joshua, Texas, five bass, 14-7, $569

10^th:        Craig Frilot, Breaux Bridge, La., five bass, 14-2, $498

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Martin caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $595.

Russell Lewis of Pineville, Louisiana, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday to win $2,064 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Russell Lewis, Pineville, La., five bass, 17-7, $2,064

2^nd:         Steve Phillips, Huntington, Texas, five bass, 13-10, $1,032

3^rd:          Jose Santana, Diboll, Texas, five bass, 13-8, $688

4^th:          Joshua Dupree, Haughton, La., five bass, 13-5, $482

5^th:          Clay Phillips, Huntington, Texas, five bass, 12-15, $413

6^th:          Cody Canerday, Welsh, La., five bass, 12-12, $378

7^th:          Henry Trotty, Kountze, Texas, five bass, 12-9, $344

8^th:          Brian Tolley, Katy, Texas, five bass, 11-12, $310

9^th:          Steve Lee, Conroe, Texas, five bass, 11-1, $275

10^th:        Larry Corley, Bentley, La., five bass, 10-15, $241

Kyle Guidry of Opelousas, Louisiana, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $287.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 22-24 Regional Championship on Lake of the Ozarks in Osage Beach, Missouri. 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.