Arkadelphia’s Hillard Grabs Co-angler Title

MOUNT IDA, Ark. (Feb. 25, 2019) – Boater Donnie Cobb of Russellville, Arkansas, caught five bass Saturday weighing 18 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Arkie Division opener on Lake Ouachita presented by GEARED. For his win, Cobb took home $4,266.

According to post-tournament reports, Cobb caught his fish upriver on shallow points using a spinnerbait.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1^st:          Donnie Cobb, Russellville, Ark., five bass, 18-7, $4,266

2^nd:         Josh Ray, Alexander, Ark., five bass, 15-4, $2,083

3^rd:          Wayne Dixon, Morrilton, Ark., five bass, 15-3, $1,256

4^th:          Scott Hardin, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 15-1, $979

5^th:          Mike Rhinehart, Pottsville, Ark., five bass, 14-3, $753

6^th:          Randall Clark, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 14-0, $690

7^th:          Dennis Bean, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-12, $628

8^th:          Lance Crawford, Broken Bow, Okla., five bass, 13-10, $565

9^th:          Spencer Shuffield, Hot Springs, Ark., five bass, 13-5, $502

10^th:        Todd Thomas, Fouke, Ark., five bass, 13-4, $439

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.

Cobb also caught a 7-pound, 8-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $500.

Almonzo Hillard of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, won the Co-angler Division and $1,859 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 12 pounds, 4 ounces.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

1^st:          Almonzo Hillard, Arkadelphia, Ark., five bass, 12-4, $1,859

2^nd:         Ryan Spicer, Sheridan, Ark., two bass, 10-8, $1,171

3^rd:          David Hardin, Bethel, Okla., two bass, 10-1, $619

4^th:          Robert Janes, Springdale, Ark., four bass, 9-10, $534

5^th:          Demetric Johnson, Little Rock, Ark., five bass, 9-9, $372

6^th:          Kristopher Klecz, Saint Charles, Ill., four bass, 9-0, $341

7^th:          Alex Allen, Bryant, Ark., three bass, 8-10, $310

8^th:          Matt Tucker, Pottsville, Ark., three bass, 8-8, $329

9^th:          Kyle Hess, Wynne, Ark., three bass, 8-6, $248

10^th:        Steve McDonald, Greenwood, Ark., three bass, 7-11, $217

Spicer caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $242.

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. 24-26 BFL Regional Championship on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.

The 2019 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. The 2019 BFL All-American will be held May 30-June 1 at the Potomac River in Marbury, Maryland, and is hosted by the Charles County Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism and the Commissioners of Charles County. Top performers in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the FLW Tour.

For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.