Morrison Wins Bass Fishing League Tournament on Atchafalaya Basin
MORGAN CITY, La. – Brooke Morrison of Breaux Bridge, La., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Cowboy Division tournament on Atchafalaya Basin. For his victory, Morrison earned $2,694.
“I caught a bunch of fish all day long,” said Morrison. “But I discovered during practice that it was a chatterbait that really produced the bigger bass. That is what won the tournament for me. The tournament didn’t go anything like the practice. There were two other tournaments going on, so the lake was under a lot of pressure and the big bass didn’t cooperate. I really had to work to get my big one.
“I was targeting Cypress trees with hydrilla in 3 to 5 feet of water using a white chatterbait with a green pumpkin trailer. That’s what I caught my nice 4-pounder on,” Morrision continued. “I was getting a lot of numbers using a (Zoom) Brush Hog, but I just wasn’t getting anything good. I caught about 25 fish. Fifteen keepers.”
Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:
2nd: Ronnie Buquet, Houma, La., five bass, 15-2, $1,347
3rd: Randy Durand, Saint Martinville, La., five bass, 12-11, $898
4th: Jeremy Guidry, Opelousas, La., five bass, 12-10, $629 plus $1,000 Evinrude bonus
5th: Bryan Adams, Monroe, La., five bass, 12-8, $539
6th: Travis Merritt, Iowa, La., five bass, 12-6, $494
7th: Kent McPhail, Lubbock, Texas, five bass, 12-2, $449
8th: Les Miller, Morrilton, Ark., five bass, 12-1, $404 9th: Keith Hawkins, Missouri City, Texas, five bass, 11-14, $359
10th: Matthew Delaney, Pollock, La., four bass, 11-8, $314
Todd Boudreaux of Gray, La., weighed in four bass totaling 11 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win $1,347 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Randall Morgan, Rusk, Texas, four bass, 9-10, $674
3rd: Daniel Brock, Anna, Texas, four bass, 9-8, $381
Andrew Cavell, Baton Rouge, La., five bass, 9-8, $381
5th: Jonathan Primeaux, Lake Charles, La., four bass, 9-5, $269
6th: Richard Hooter, Natchitoches, La., four bass, 8-13, $247
7th: Robert Moseley, Pecos, Texas, four bass, 8-1, $225
8th: Cory Chustz, Erwinville, La., three bass, 7-7, $191
Tony Kemp, Youngsville, La., three bass, 7-7, $191
10th: Michael Phipps, Elm Grove, La., four bass, 7-1, $157
The next BFL Cowboy Division tournament is scheduled for June 9 on Bayou Black in Gibson, La. After the fifth Cowboy Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 18-20 Regional Championship on the Red River in Natchitoches, La. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 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 40 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 the BFL All-American. The 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the FLW Tour.
