Knight Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division Event On Douglas Lake

Jeff Knight of Cleveland, Tenn., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 14 ounces Saturday to win the second Walmart Bass Fishing League Volunteer Division tournament of 2014 on Douglas Lake. For his victory, Knight earned $3,592.

 Knight’s win was his first BFL victory since 2005, and it came on a lake that he hadn’t fished in over 20 years.
     “I practiced on Friday and just dropped the trolling motor down and caught about 20 pounds on a jig,” said Knight. “I went right back there on Saturday and they were still there.
     “I was just hopping a jig down rock ledges. I was casting into about 2-feet and letting it fall down the ledges. When they’d hit you would definitely know it.”
     Knight said he was throwing a kudzu-colored Choo Choo Custom Lures jig.
     Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
            2nd:   Burton Bryan, Sevierville, Tenn., five bass, 15-11, $1,796
            3rd:   Travis Lilly, Bluff City, Tenn., five bass, 14-10, $1,201
            4th:   George Carroll, Clinton, Tenn., five bass, 14-7, $838
            5th:   Charles Ellis, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 14-5, $718
            6th:   Larry Neal, Piney Flats, Tenn., five bass, 14-0, $659 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
            7th:   Brian Hazel, Clinton, Tenn., five bass, 13-13, $599
            8th:   Garry Minnick, Blountville, Tenn., five bass, 13-6, $539
            9th:   Joe Leonard, Bristol, Tenn., five bass, 13-4, $479
            10th: Lee Varner, Andersonville, Tenn., five bass, 12-15, $419
     Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
     Jim Neece of Bristol, Va., weighed in three bass totaling 12 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win $1,796 in the co-angler division.
     Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
            2nd:   Tyler Duckworth, Gray, Tenn., five bass, 11-11, $898
            3rd:   Shawn Bishop, Johnson City, Tenn., five bass, 10-15, $598
            4th:   John Swallows, Charleston, Tenn., five bass, 10-12, $419
            5th:   Jesse Burnett, Norris, Tenn., four bass, 10-11, $329
            5th:   Justin McGaha, Knoxville, Tenn., five bass, 10-11, $329
            5th:   Jonathan Wood, Canton, N.C., five bass, 10-11, $329
            8th:   Kevin Hughes, Bristol, Va., five bass, 9-1, $269
            9th:   Gary Carroll, Jonesville, Va., five bass, 9-0, $239
            10th: Jason Webb, Rockwood, Tenn., two bass, 8-11, $210
     The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 9-11 Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, 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 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 one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.