KANSAS’ KING WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OKIE DIVISION FINALE ON GRAND LAKE

KANSAS’ KING WINS FLW BASS FISHING LEAGUE OKIE DIVISION FINALE ON GRAND LAKE

Sandidge wins co-angler title

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GROVE, Okla. (Sept. 19, 2016) – Benjamin King of Garnett, Kansas, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 2 ounces, Sunday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Okie Division Super Tournament on Grand Lake, with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 29 pounds, 7 ounces. King pocketed $8,349 for his victory.

King said he split his tournament between two patterns – dragging a worm near flats with docks and flipping a creature bait to willows. He said his areas were spread out between Sailboat Bridge and Drowning Creek.

“I used a Mesu Baits Shaky-Head Jig with a worm on the flats, and I flipped a green-pumpkin Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver in the willows,” said King, who earned his first career win in FLW competition. “I dragged the worm on the bottom from 6 inches to 2 feet of water.”

King said he moved a lot, fishing 15 to 20 areas each day of the event.

“I kept running because I wasn’t catching much,” said King. “The first day I had five keeper bites, and the second day I had six.”

King said his Ardent Apex Elite reel and 7’6” Medium-Heavy Ardent Edge rod were essential to his victory.

“The Ardent equipment was really the difference maker for me,” said King. “It loaded up well, even with that little bait. I felt like I could cast a mile. If I saw one blow up on the flats, I was able to reach it.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Benjamin King, Garnett, Kan., 10 bass, 29-7, $6,349 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd:         Sawyer Grace, Russellville, Ark., 10 bass, 27-8, $3,175

3^rd:          Chris Torkleson, Sand Springs, Okla., nine bass, 27-5, $2,317

4^th:          Cade Alsbury, Cave Springs, Ark., 10 bass, 26-6, $1,481

5^th:          Ryan Wilbanks, Wagoner, Okla., nine bass, 26-3, $1,270

6^th:          Brandon Mosley, Choctaw, Okla., 10 bass, 25-14, $1,164

7^th:          Sean McAllister, Checotah, Okla., 10 bass, 24-12, $1,058

8^th:          Joel Baker, Talala, Okla., 10 bass, 24-8, $1,052

9^th:          Brett Stearnes, Joplin, Mo., nine bass, 24-3, $1,732

10^th:        Spencer Grace, Dardanelle, Ark., 10 bass, 22-15, $741

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Stearnes caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 7 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the Boater Big Bass award of $885.

Jason Sandidge of Centerton, Arkansas, won the co-angler division and earned $3,175 with a two-day cumulative catch of eight bass weighing 20 pounds, 6 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Jason Sandidge, Centerton, Ark., eight bass, 20-6, $3,175

2^nd:         Steve Bradfield, Claremore, Okla., six bass, 15-13, $1,808

3^rd:          Justin Lillie, Owasso, Okla., five bass, 13-15, $1,059

4^th:          Chris Zins, Oklahoma City, Okla., four bass, 12-8, $741

5^th:          Justin Newell, Muskogee, Okla., four bass, 11-1, $635

6^th:          Dick Hindman, Sapulpa, Okla., four bass, 10-15, $582

7^th:          Kyle Pride, Skiatook, Okla., five bass, 10-11, $529

8^th:          Marc Logan, Jones, Okla., three bass, 10-2, $476

9^th:          Paul Loveland, Grove, Okla., three bass, 9-9, $644

10^th:        Luke Frazier, Skiatook, Okla., four bass, 9-8, $570

Bradfield caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 7 ounces, and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $221.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 27-29 Regional Championship on Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, Arkansas. 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 are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.