Hot Springs’ Rudolph tops Co-angler field

MURFREESBORO, Ark. (March 20, 2017) – Jake Ormond of Sterllngton, Louisiana, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 14 ounces, Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division event on Lake Greeson presented by Geared. For his win, Ormond took home $3,879.

 

“I kicked the day off at a little point in West Fork,” said Ormond, who earned his first career-win in FLW competition. “I caught two keepers on a Livingston Lures Primetyme SQ 2.0 squarebill-crankbait and a Rapala DT 6 crankbait.

“After that I went up the Little Missouri River to an area known as Four Mile Bank,” continued Ormond. “It was steep – probably a 45-degree angle or steeper. There was also a lot of rock. I ran down the stretch twice to finish out my day.”

Along the stretch, Ormond said he rotated between the DT 6 and a ½-ounce Rat-L-Trap.

“I ran the baits in 4 to 6 feet of water, where there was wood,” said Ormond. “Once I had a limit of 10 or 11 pounds, I switched to a XCalibur Xr75 Rattle Bait, which is a bigger lure.”

Ormond said that the bigger crankbait produced some heavier bass, but they were harder to come by.

“I probably caught 20 to 25 keepers throughout the tournament,” said Ormond. “My biggest fish – a 4-pounder – came around 2 p.m. on the Rapala.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Jake Ormond, Sterlington, La., five bass, 15-14, $3,879

2^nd:         Justin Swayze, Gurdon, Ark., five bass, 14-5, $2,140

3^rd:          Chris Darby, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-6, $1,393

4^th:          Steve Howard, Conway, Ark., five bass, 13-3, $1,420

5^th:          Charles Williams, Clarksville, Ark., five bass, 12-1, $776

6^th:          Kevin Fant, Murfreesboro, Ark., five bass, 10-15, $711

7^th:          Brian Kirkendoll, Jacksonville, Ark., five bass, 10-11, $647

8^th:          Matt Wood, Jessieville, Ark., five bass, 10-2, $582

9^th:          Stephen Tyson Jr., Camden, Ark., five bass, 10-1, $517

10^th:        Jamey Black, Sheridan, Ark., five bass, 10-0, $453

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Howard caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 13 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $515.

Buddy Rudolph of Hot Springs, Arkansas, weighed in five bass totaling 10 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $1,940.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Buddy Rudolph, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 10-4, $1,940

2^nd:         Steve Standridge, Conway, Ark., five bass, 9-10, $970

3^rd:          Brian Choate, Conway, Ark., five bass, 8-11, $846

4^th:          Steven Stroud, Conway, Ark., three bass, 8-10, $710

5^th:          Jonathan Wolfe, Camden, Ark., five bass, 8-6, $388

6^th:          Stephen  Simms, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 7-15, $356

7^th:          Jackson Whitbeck, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 7-11, $307

7^th:          Timothy Allen, Murfreesboro, Ark., five bass, 7-11, $307

9^th:          Chance Stone, Nashville, Ark., five bass, 7-10, $292

9^th:          Michael Gross, Malvern, Ark., five bass, 7-10, $242

Stroud caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $257.

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 19-21 BFL Regional Championship on the Red River in Bossier City, Louisiana. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.

The 2017 BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 128 tournaments throughout the season, five qualifying events in each division. The top 45 boaters and co-anglers from each division, along with the five winners of the qualifying events, will advance to one of six regional tournaments where they 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 performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the 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.