HOUCHIN WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE ARKIE DIVISION FINALE ON LAKE HAMILTON

                                                                                          

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (Sept. 21, 2015) – Quincy Houchin of Mabelvale, Arkansas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 12 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Arkie Division Super Tournament on Lake Hamilton with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 23 pounds, 10 ounces. For his victory, Houchin earned $5,065.

“Each day of the tournament I focused on shallow grass in the mid-lake areas,” said Houchin of his first career win in FLW competition. “It was a pretty basic deal – everything I did was grass related with topwater baits.”

Houchin said he caught around nine keepers Saturday but wasn’t able to find a kicker-fish.

“I used a Leopard-colored Spro Frog and brought them in consistently throughout the day,” said Houchin.

On Sunday, Houchin said he was able to catch his limit fairly early using the same bait.

“I boated a 4-pounder around 9 a.m.,” said Houchin “That pretty much sealed the deal for me.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Quincy Houchin, Mabelvale, Ark., 10 bass, 23-10, $5,065

2^nd:         Greg Ault, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 21-5, $2,532

3^rd:          Cody Kemp, Donaldson, Ark., 10 bass, 21-0, $1,687

4^th:          Trent Owens, Amity, Ark., 10 bass, 19-13, $1,182

5^th:          Huey Applegate, Jessieville, Ark., nine bass, 18-12, $1,013

6^th:          Dylan Hays, Sheridan, Ark., seven bass, 18-3, $929

7^th:          Evan Barnes, London, Ark., 10 bass, 18-0, $844

8^th:          Chris Darby, Hot Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 17-15, $760

9^th:          Joey Cifuentes, Clinton, Ark., 10 bass, 17-7, $675

10^th:        Jeremiah Kindy, Benton, Ark., 10 bass, 16-12, $591

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Keith Green of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Friday. The fish weighed 4 pounds, 11 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $622.

Michael Lucas of Forrest City, Arkansas, won the co-angler division and $2,471 with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 13 pounds, 15 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Michael Lucas, Forrest City, Ark., seven bass, 13-15, $2,471

2^nd:         Brian Choate, Conway, Ark., seven bass, 12-8, $1,236

3^rd:          Ronnie Kent, Batesville, Ark., eight bass, 12-0, $822

4^th:          Bryan Barnard, Harrison, Ark., seven bass, 9-2, $577

5^th:          Rick Cole, Hot Springs, Ark., seven bass, 8-14, $494

6^th:          Johnny Brooks, Little Rock, Ark., four bass, 8-7, $453

7^th:          Stan Harris, Searcy, Ark., seven bass, 8-3, $412

8^th:          Bruce Thompson, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 8-2, $371

9^th:          Steve Belew, Beebe, Ark., four bass, 8-0, $330

10^th:        Britt Hicks, Charleston, Ark., seven bass, 7-9, $288

Belew caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $304.

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