Cody Bryant of Little Rock, Arkansas won the final 1-day event of the AFT D44 that was held on March 4th and contested on Lake Maumelle. Cody topped the field with five fish for a total weight of 16.04 pounds. Cody threw crankbaits and jerkbaits to catch his fish. Cody earned $602 for his efforts. Cody also caught the biggest bass of the event weighing in at 5.14 pounds.

Coming in second place was Brent Ellis who sacked up five fish for a total weight of 15.11 pounds. Brent relied on a football jig to fill his livewell. Brent took home $308 for second place.

Rounding out the top three was John Simonof who threw a bladed jig, poured on an Owner hook, with a V&M Baits Swamp Hog Jr trailer on a Temple Fork Outfitter rod and 20# Hi-Seas Quattro Fluorocarbon line to catch five fish for a total weight of 12.95 pounds.

19 anglers came out on a chilly morning after some recent warm weather and storms moved through the week prior to the event. Expectations for a great day of fishing were high with the water temperature climbing into the upper 50’s. Overall, the fishing was good with 84 bass for a total weight of 162.92 lbs and 14 5-fish limits crossing the scales. Many anglers reported early limits and culling through fish all day to get to their final tally.

Top Five Finishers:
1. Cody Bryant         16.04 lbs
2. Brent Ellis            15.11 lbs
3. John Simonof       12.95 lbs
4. Rob Stone            12.83 lbs
5. Donald Armbrust   10.36 lbs

The next tournament in this division is the 2-day championship on Lake Hamilton on 25-26 Mar launching from the AGFC ramp. For more information on this or any future event in this division contact John Simonof at (501)772-4938 or by email at [email protected].

I’d like to thank our local sponsors who provide great support throughout the year.

Fish N’ Stuff
H2O Sportz & Marine
I-40 Transmission
NIFE Marine
Temple Fork Outfitters
Window World of Little Rock
Zimmerman’s Sports Center/Exxon

These anglers are earning valuable points toward the divisional angler of the year title. The points champion from each division will compete in the annual Ram American Bass Anglers AFT Angler of the Year Final Round at the Ram American Fishing Tour National Championship.

The Ram American Fishing Tour offers low cost, close to home bass tournaments that are designed for the weekend angler. All ABA anglers fish for money and points. The points advance the angler to their divisional championship and the top 500 anglers in the US are invited to the Ram American Fishing Tour National Championship. For more information on American Bass Anglers please visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256)232-0406.