The spawn is in full swing in many southern states and McMahan took full advantage of it to notch his first BFL win.

      “I couldn’t see them at all because there was so much pollen and color in the water,” said McMahan. “The fish were relating primarily to the red-clay banks with hard bottom and shell beds in large shallow coves. They were mostly in places in the mid-lake area that were warmer than the rest of the lake.

      “I figure that I culled out a 24 pound bag. I probably had 15 keepers and some shorts,” said McMahan. “I would catch a 12-inch little male and then pitch back into the same spot and catch a 5- or 6-pounder.

      “Every fish I caught came on a ½-ounce Mean Mouth jig. I used a Duckett Fishing Micro Magic rod. It’s an extremely sensitive rod and was the right action for that style of fishing.

      “I was the very first person to weigh-in,” finished McMahan, “I had to wait until the very end to figure out if I won or not.”

     Rounding out the top 10 pros were:

            2nd:   James Smith, Hampton Cove, Ala., five bass, 28-8, $1,820

            3rd:   Gary Fleming, Russellville, Ala., five bass, 25-4, $1,214

            4th:   Pat Kelly Sr., Guntersville, Ala., five bass, 24-14, $850

            5th:   Jim Leary, Meridianville, Ala., five bass, 22-14, $728

            6th:   Erwin Cole, Murfreesboro, Tenn., five bass, 21-15, $668 + Evinrude Bonus

            7th:   Chris Webb, Decatur, Ala., five bass, 21-11, $607

            8th:   Bland Morris, Huntsville, Ala., five bass, 21-3, $515

            8th:   Terry Tucker, Gadsden, Ala., five bass, 21-3, $515

            10th:  Marshall Deakins, Dunlap, Tenn., five bass, 20-10, $425

     Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.

     John Biffle of Chattanooga, Tenn., weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 27 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win $1,820 in the co-angler division.

     Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:

            2nd:   Alan Barrett, Cullman, Ala., five bass, 22-9, $910

            3rd:   James Boyd, Russellville, Ala., five bass, 22-4, $516

            3rd:   Thomas White, Iron City, Tenn., five bass, 22-4, $516

            5th:   Robert Richardson, Calhoun, Ga., five bass, 21-10, $364

            6th:   Steven Dabbs, Boaz, Ala., five bass, 20-12, $334

            7th:   Collin Bruce, Florence, Ala., five bass, 19-1, $303

            8th:   Josh Dees, Mount Olive, Ala., five bass, 18-1, $273

            9th:   Brennon Binkley, Nashville, Tenn., five bass, 16-1, $243

            10th: Chris Patterson, Kimberly, Ala., five bass, 15-14, $212

     The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 2-4 Regional Championship on the St. John’s River in Palatka, Fla. 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. The 2014 BFL All-American is being held June 5-7 on Wilson Lake in Florence, Ala. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.