FLOYD WINS WALMART BASS FISHING LEAGUE LBL DIVISION EVENT ON KENTUCKY/BARKLEY LAKES

HARDIN, Ky. (May 4, 2015) – Steve Floyd of Leesburg, Ohio, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League LBL Division tournament of 2015 on Kentucky and Barkley lakes. For his victory, Floyd earned $6,806.

“It feels pretty great to grab a win,” said Floyd. “I spent a lot of time practicing for this tournament, so it’s nice to see it payoff.”

Floyd said he focused on flipping bushes in small spawning pockets near Paris Landing as his main strategy.

“I probably fished a 10-mile stretch of the river,” said Floyd. “There were four spots I knew would be producing.

“The fish were primarily in shallow bushes,” continued Floyd. “There were a lot of large males and females in that area. Most of them were spawning even though the ones I caught were postspawn.”

To reach his winning five-bass limit, Floyd said he used a green pumpkin-colored Berkley Havoc Pit Boss.

“I caught about nine keepers all in the 3½ pound range,” said Floyd. “It was a fun and consistent day of fishing.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Steve Floyd, Leesburg, Ohio, five bass, 16-11, $4,806 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd:         Mike Cox, Magnolia, Ky., five bass, 16-8, $2,403

3^rd:          Drew Boggs, Lebanon, Tenn., five bass, 16-6, $1,605

4^th:          Craig Hipsher, Benton, Ky., five bass, 15-13, $1,121

5^th:          Sam Boss, Paducah, Ky., five bass, 14-10, $961

6^th:          John Hopkins, Hendersonville, Tenn., five bass, 14-6, $881

7^th:          Jackson Ryley, Clinton, Ind., five bass, 14-0, $801

8^th:          Dustin Vaal, Gilbertsville, Ky., five bass, 13-9, $721

9^th:          Wayne Joyce, Clarksville, Tenn., four bass, 12-11, $641

10^th:        Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., three bass, 12-9, $561

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Willie Rentmeister of Mount Pulaski, Illinois, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 12 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $725.

Jimmy Rhodus of Versailles, Kentucky, weighed in four bass totaling 11 pounds, 7 ounce Saturday to win $2,398 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Jimmy Rhodus, Versailles, Ky., four bass, 11-7, $2,398

2^nd:         David Carroll, Manitou, Ky., four bass, 11-0, $1,199

3^rd:          Charlie Kuebler, Jasper, Ind., five bass, 9-0, $795

4^th:          Claude Cobb, Lexington, Ky., three bass, 8-4, $560

5^th:          Robert Robinson, Ashland City, Tenn., two bass, 8-2, $480

6^th:          Chuck Rounds, Benton, Ky., four bass, 8-0, $440

7^th:          Dan Basham, Taylorsville, Ky., three bass, 7-6, $400

8^th:          Frank Spacil, Palos Heights, Ill., three bass, 7-3, $360

9^th:          David Smothers, Johnston City, Ill., two bass, 6-14, $320

10^th:        Danny Robinson, Fairland, Ind., three bass, 6-10, $280

Robinson caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $357.

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.