Tavares, Fla. - Helped by a limit weighing more than 30 pounds on the second day of competition, Bryan Hudgins of Orange Park, Fla., scored victory at the Bassmaster Southern Open bass fishing tournament on Florida's Harris Chain of Lakes in commanding fashion Saturday. Hudgins' final day tally was 14 pounds, 9 ounces, which upgraded his three-day total of 68 pounds, 10 ounces, enough to hold off his nearest competitor, Scott Ashmore of Broken Arrow, Okla., by more than 10 pounds.
It was a different approach to the Harris Chain that aided Hudgins. The vast majority of the nearly 200-pro field found spots far from the launch site, some up to an hour and a half away, but Hudgins fished within ten minutes of the ramp. He pulled all of his weight from the same area by flipping a Git 'Em Bait Co. craw, in either black and blue or watermelon red, into emergent vegetation.
With the victory, Hudgins takes home the $45,000 top prize. Ashmore took second with 58 pounds, 6 ounces, while Bassmaster Elite Series pro Bobby Lane of Lakeland, Fla., took third with 54 pounds, 13 ounces. Day 1 leader John Kremer of Sanford, Fla., who finished with 51 pounds, 6 ounces, finished fourth while Elite pro Tim Horton of Muscle Shoals, Ala., brought in 51 pounds, 2 ounces, good enough for fifth.
With the launch temperature hanging around 40 degrees, Hudgins decided to stick to his plan of fishing close where there was little boat traffic.
"Most of the guys ran way far away, so the water was all muddied from the boats passing through there all day for the past week,"said Hudgins. "Those fish took a pounding so I thought the bite would slow, and it did. I didn't burn a quarter tank of gas the whole time."
Hudgins said the bite was good for him early in the day, then died off after noon.
"It all came together yesterday, and continued into today," he said.
Ashmore, who had a shot at victory if he performed better on the final day, blamed two of his weighed fish for his light total of 12-1 Saturday.
"I had two fish get off, I think they were about three and four pounds, and while I don't know if I would've won with that, it would've made it close," he said. "The fish I was on today had been hit hard all week, there was a couple other guys fishing that same area, so they tightened up today for sure."
In the co-angler division, Donnie Dodd, of Guntersville, Ala., took top honors with 32 pounds, 7 ounces. Dodd zeroed on the first day, but rocketed up the chart with five fish weighing 19 pounds, 2 ounces on Friday. Dodd won a Skeeter/Yamaha rig valued at over $32,000 with his amazing comeback win.
Dodd took the lead from Marlon Crowder of Tampa, Fla, who held top position for the first two days. Crowder's three-day total of 30 pounds, 10 ounces, was good for second while Ben Potaracke of La Crosse, Wisc., was third with 26 pounds, 15 ounces.
Greg Vinson's 10-pound, 2-ounce largemouth he caught on Day One held up as big bass of the tournament. The Wetumpka, Ala., native and Elite Series pro finished 6th on the pro side with 45-pounds, 11-ounces. Pam Martin-Wells, a pro on the Women's Tour finished 23rd with 31 pounds, 0 ounces.
Next up for pros in the three-tournament Southern Open division is the April 30-May 2 event on Wheeler Lake out of Decatur, Ala.
Bassmaster Southern Open- Final Standings- Pro
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Bryan Hudgins Orange Park, Fla. 15 68-06 310 $50,657.00
Day 1: 5 22-14 Day 2: 5 30-15 Day 3: 5 14-09
2. Scott Ashmore Broken Arrow, Okla. 15 58-02 295 $22,514.00
Day 1: 5 17-13 Day 2: 5 28-04 Day 3: 5 12-01
3. Bobby Lane Lakeland, Fla. 15 54-13 290 $19,137.00
Day 1: 5 20-00 Day 2: 5 20-02 Day 3: 5 14-11
4. John Kremer Sanford, Fla. 11 51-06 290 $14,071.00
Day 1: 5 29-13 Day 2: 5 17-13 Day 3: 1 3-12
5. Timmy Horton Muscle Shoals, Ala. 15 51-02 280 $11,257.00
Day 1: 5 23-00 Day 2: 5 10-15 Day 3: 5 17-03
6. Greg Vinson Wetumpka, Ala. 15 45-11 276 $10,131.00
Day 1: 5 25-09 Day 2: 5 9-04 Day 3: 5 10-14
7. Todd Auten Lake Wylie, S.C. 14 44-12 272 $9,006.00
Day 1: 5 18-07 Day 2: 5 16-04 Day 3: 4 10-01
8. Jimmie Murphy Ocala, Fla. 14 43-03 268 $7,880.00
Day 1: 5 17-03 Day 2: 5 16-11 Day 3: 4 9-05
9. Mike White Reynoldsburg, Ohio 15 41-06 264 $6,754.00
Day 1: 5 17-10 Day 2: 5 9-00 Day 3: 5 14-12
10. Terry Segraves Kissimmee, Fla. 11 41-00 260 $5,629.00
Day 1: 1 6-09 Day 2: 5 18-09 Day 3: 5 15-14
11. Dave Wolak Wake Forest, N.C. 15 39-09 257 $4,503.00
Day 1: 5 12-05 Day 2: 5 14-08 Day 3: 5 12-12
12. Ben Quisno Maineville, Ohio 14 39-09 254 $3,940.00
Day 1: 5 18-11 Day 2: 4 11-15 Day 3: 5 8-15
13. Eric Stong Belle Isle, Fla. 13 39-04 251 $3,377.00
Day 1: 5 17-09 Day 2: 4 9-15 Day 3: 4 11-12
14. Scott Mcgehee Madison, Miss. 15 37-12 248 $2,814.00
Day 1: 5 15-11 Day 2: 5 10-09 Day 3: 5 11-08
15. David Kilgore Jasper, Ala. 15 37-07 245 $2,533.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 12-05 Day 3: 5 12-01
16. Luke Estel Murphysboro, Ill. 15 36-03 243 $2,251.00
Day 1: 5 14-02 Day 2: 5 7-07 Day 3: 5 14-10
17. Casey Ashley Donalds, S.C. 14 36-00 241 $2,195.00
Day 1: 5 15-03 Day 2: 5 13-03 Day 3: 4 7-10
18. Jason Knapp Uniontown, Pa. 15 35-05 239 $2,139.00
Day 1: 5 11-07 Day 2: 5 14-11 Day 3: 5 9-03
19. Preston Clark Palatka, Fla. 11 34-03 237 $2,083.00
Day 1: 5 19-04 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 1 1-15
20. Terry Scroggins San Mateo, Fla. 13 34-02 235 $2,026.00
Day 1: 5 15-09 Day 2: 5 14-01 Day 3: 3 4-08
21. Jason Williamson Aiken, S.C. 13 32-04 233 $1,970.00
Day 1: 5 7-02 Day 2: 5 19-12 Day 3: 3 5-06
22. Keith Poche Troy, Ala. 12 31-02 231 $1,914.00
Day 1: 5 11-06 Day 2: 4 13-10 Day 3: 3 6-02
23. Pam Martin-Wells Bainbridge, Ga. 13 31-00 229 $1,857.00
Day 1: 5 10-15 Day 2: 5 15-11 Day 3: 3 4-06
24. James Charlesworth Saint Cloud, Fla. 13 28-08 227 $1,801.00
Day 1: 5 13-01 Day 2: 5 9-06 Day 3: 3 6-01
25. Joe Clements Saint Cloud, Fla. 13 27-00 225 $1,745.00
Day 1: 5 10-14 Day 2: 5 11-08 Day 3: 3 4-10
26. Mike Prindle Bainbridge, Ga. 10 26-08 223 $1,689.00
Day 1: 4 17-11 Day 2: 5 6-10 Day 3: 1 2-03
27. Peter Thliveros St Augustine, Fla. 9 25-13 221 $1,632.00
Day 1: 3 9-06 Day 2: 5 15-00 Day 3: 1 1-07
28. Wayne Clifton Moncks Corner, S.C. 11 25-05 219 $1,576.00
Day 1: 5 14-07 Day 2: 5 8-12 Day 3: 1 2-02
29. Robert Grosso Odessa, Fla. 9 25-03 217 $1,520.00
Day 1: 3 8-05 Day 2: 5 15-00 Day 3: 1 1-14
30. Jimmy Mason Rogersville, Ala. 11 23-10 215 $1,463.00
Day 1: 5 11-03 Day 2: 5 10-14 Day 3: 1 1-09
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 65 597 1306-14
2 67 590 1347-12
3 13 106 253-12
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145 1293 2908-06
Bassmaster Southern Open- Co-Angler Standings
Angler Hometown No./lbs-oz Pts Total $$$
1. Donnie Dodd Guntersville, Ala. 8 32-07 305 $32,000.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 5 19-02 Day 3: 3 13-05
2. Marlon Crowder Tampa, Fla. 10 30-10 305 $5,629.00
Day 1: 5 20-01 Day 2: 2 5-10 Day 3: 3 4-15
3. Ben Potaracke La Crosse, Wisc. 12 26-15 290 $4,503.00
Day 1: 4 7-13 Day 2: 4 6-14 Day 3: 4 12-04
4. Dwaine Williams Greenup, Ky. 13 24-06 285 $3,377.00
Day 1: 5 11-09 Day 2: 4 6-08 Day 3: 4 6-05
5. Larry Inman Greensboro, N.C. 13 23-10 280 $2,814.00
Day 1: 5 7-08 Day 2: 3 4-05 Day 3: 5 11-13
6. Aaron Gengler Lakeland, Fla. 10 23-09 276 $2,533.00
Day 1: 3 6-07 Day 2: 5 12-15 Day 3: 2 4-03
7. Bj Hannah Dyersburg, Tenn. 8 23-06 272 $2,251.00
Day 1: 1 0-13 Day 2: 5 17-11 Day 3: 2 4-14
8. Randy Hadden Jacksonsville, Fla. 10 21-15 268 $2,139.00
Day 1: 4 6-13 Day 2: 5 13-00 Day 3: 1 2-02
9. John Brodkorb Orange City, Fla. 7 21-07 264 $1,914.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 5 16-00 Day 3: 2 5-07
10. Jon Jezierski Troy, Mich. 9 19-14 260 $1,463.00
Day 1: 5 13-06 Day 2: 1 1-14 Day 3: 3 4-10
11. Dan Thill La Crosse, Wisc. 11 17-05 257 $1,238.00
Day 1: 4 6-14 Day 2: 4 5-07 Day 3: 3 5-00
12. Marcus Parker Jacksonville, Fla. 11 17-03 254 $1,126.00
Day 1: 5 8-01 Day 2: 2 2-13 Day 3: 4 6-05
13. Kurtis Michaux Clermont, Fla. 11 16-04 251 $1,013.00
Day 1: 5 6-09 Day 2: 5 6-03 Day 3: 1 3-08
14. Lee Boutwell Climax, Ga. 7 15-10 248 $901.00
Day 1: 5 10-03 Day 2: 2 5-07 Day 3: 0 0-00
15. Scott Kerslake Henderson, N.C. 6 15-03 245 $788.00
Day 1: 2 5-02 Day 2: 2 7-01 Day 3: 2 3-00
16. Edward Knight Magnolia, Del. 6 14-07 243 $760.00
Day 1: 4 9-05 Day 2: 2 5-02 Day 3: 0 0-00
17. Mike Fraker Flowery Branch, Ga. 6 14-07 241 $732.00
Day 1: 1 2-13 Day 2: 3 9-02 Day 3: 2 2-08
18. Darrell Davis Dover, Fla. 7 14-04 239 $704.00
Day 1: 4 5-14 Day 2: 3 8-06 Day 3: 0 0-00
19. John Foster Altamonte Springs, Fla 7 14-03 237 $675.00
Day 1: 3 7-03 Day 2: 3 4-05 Day 3: 1 2-11
20. Brian Fuller Prattville, Ala. 6 13-14 235 $647.00
Day 1: 2 3-08 Day 2: 3 7-12 Day 3: 1 2-10
21. Jim Russell Dade City, Fla. 7 13-10 233 $619.00
Day 1: 0 0-00 Day 2: 5 11-03 Day 3: 2 2-07
22. Mike Prance Palatka, Fla. 7 13-08 231 $563.00
Day 1: 1 2-00 Day 2: 4 9-03 Day 3: 2 2-05
23. Steven Wells Bainbridge, Ga. 6 13-05 229 $535.00
Day 1: 4 9-00 Day 2: 1 2-14 Day 3: 1 1-07
24. Thomas Henderson Roseland, Fla. 6 13-03 227 $507.00
Day 1: 2 3-10 Day 2: 3 7-14 Day 3: 1 1-11
25. Andy Fleming Ashland City, Tenn. 7 12-10 225 $478.00
Day 1: 5 7-05 Day 2: 2 5-05 Day 3: 0 0-00
26. Matthew Wightman Montevallo, Ala. 5 12-10 223 $450.00
Day 1: 2 8-06 Day 2: 2 2-15 Day 3: 1 1-05
27. Tyler Berger Worthington, Ohio 5 12-09 221 $422.00
Day 1: 2 3-10 Day 2: 2 6-13 Day 3: 1 2-02
28. John Mccutchan Altamonte Springs, Fla 8 12-02 219 $394.00
Day 1: 4 5-15 Day 2: 3 4-10 Day 3: 1 1-09
29. Steve Warner Winter Haven, Fla. 8 12-00 217 $366.00
Day 1: 4 5-02 Day 2: 4 6-14 Day 3: 0 0-00
30. Rod Dubose Opelika, Ala. 7 11-09 215 $338.00
Day 1: 4 7-05 Day 2: 3 4-04 Day 3: 0 0-00
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Totals
Day #Limits #Fish Weight
1 8 277 503-07
2 13 279 558-13
3 1 52 108-06
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22 608 1170-10
2009 Bassmaster Southern Open Points Standings
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Place Name St Pts
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1 Bryan Hudgins Fla. 310
2 Scott Ashmore Okla. 295
3 John Kremer Fla. 290
3 Bobby Lane Fla. 290
5 Timmy Horton Ala. 280
6 Greg Vinson Ala. 276
7 Todd Auten S.C. 272
8 Jimmie Murphy Fla. 268
9 Mike White Ohio 264
10 Terry Segraves Fla. 260
11 Dave Wolak N.C. 257
12 Ben Quisno Ohio 254
13 Eric Stong Fla. 251
14 Scott Mcgehee Miss. 248
15 David Kilgore Ala. 245
16 Luke Estel Ill. 243
17 Casey Ashley S.C. 241
18 Jason Knapp Pa. 239
19 Preston Clark Fla. 237
20 Terry Scroggins Fla. 235
21 Jason Williamson S.C. 233
22 Keith Poche Ala. 231
23 Pam Martin-Wells Ga. 229
24 James Charlesworth Fla. 227
25 Joe Clements Fla. 225
26 Mike Prindle Ga. 223
27 Peter Thliveros Fla. 221
28 Wayne Clifton S.C. 219
29 Robert Grosso Fla. 217
30 Jimmy Mason Ala. 215
31 Sean Hoernke Texas 213
32 Jeremy Prouty Fla. 211
33 Bradley Roy Ky. 209
34 J Todd Tucker Ga. 207
35 Scott Mason Ky. 205
36 David Cooke N.C. 203
37 Brannon Jones Ala. 201
38 Wayne Hauser N.C. 199
39 Darrin Schwenkbeck N.Y. 197
40 Sammy Burks Mo. 195
41 Wade Grooms S.C. 193
42 Jason Berg Minn. 191
43 Luke Gritter Mich. 189
44 Josh Guess Fla. 187
45 Gerald Gostenik Mich. 185
46 James Anderson Fla. 183
47 Mark Menendez Ky. 181
48 Ron Wolfarth N.C. 179
49 Patrick Kelly Ala. 177
50 Sandy Melvin Fla. 175
51 Russ Lane Ala. 173
52 Bradley Enfinger Ga. 171
53 Rogne Brown Tenn. 169
54 Derek Jones Ill. 167
55 Justin Hamner Ala. 165
56 Allen Glasgow Ala. 163
57 Will Evans Fla. 161
58 Jeff Fitts Fla. 159
59 Hiroshi Kojima Ala. 157
60 Charlie Ingram Tenn. 155
61 Mark McCaig Ala. 153
62 Lance Vick Texas 151
63 Scott Browning N.C. 149
64 Andre Moore Ala. 147
65 Trevor Fitzgerald Fla. 145
66 Patrick Pierce Fla. 143
67 Chris Wilkerson Texas 141
68 Marty Robinson S.C. 139
69 Homer Humphreys La. 137
70 Clifford Dawson Fla. 135
71 Shawn Strader Tenn. 133
72 Glenn Delong Ohio 131
73 Mike Hawkes Texas 129
74 Bob Eagleston Fla. 127
75 John Crews Va. 125
76 Chris Payne Ala. 123
77 Brian Elder Ga. 121
78 Rodney Allen Ind. 119
79 Teb Jones Miss. 117
80 Jim Johnson Wisc. 115
81 Brad Wall Ohio 113
82 Kevin Langill N.C. 111
83 Chris Barnett Tenn. 109
84 Kyle Kempkers Mich. 107
85 Preston Johnson Wisc. 105
86 Jim Hardy Ala. 103
87 Arnie Lane Fla. 101
88 Rick Ash Pa. 99
89 Brad Staley N.C. 97
90 Christopher Foley N.C. 95
91 Kevin Pulsifer Fla. 93
92 Brian Rufty Ky. 91
93 Roger Bitz Fla. 89
94 Aaron Martens Ala. 87
95 Alan Rae S.C. 85
96 Paul Pagnato Va. 83
97 David Perdue Va. 81
98 Frank Scalish Ohio 79
99 Brandon Coulter Tenn. 77
100 Chad Morgenthaler Ill. 76
101 Jim Short Md. 75
102 Ray Brazier Tenn. 74
103 Trevor Knight Del. 73
104 Charlie Hartley Ohio 72
105 Larry Rollings S.C. 71
106 Johnny Patterson Ala. 70
107 Parks Jones S.C. 69
108 Tony Chachere La. 68
109 Dustin Evans Tenn. 67
110 Thomas Warren Ill. 66
111 Tyrone Cypress Fla. 65
112 Tom Frink Calif. 64
113 Chris Lane Fla. 63
114 Brian Easler S.C. 62
115 Gene Barnette Ala. 61
116 James Castillo Wash. 60
117 Chad Hall Ala. 59
118 Jimmy Liao Fla. 58
119 Kyle Fox Fla. 57
120 Curtis Reeves Ga. 56
121 Kurt Dove Texas 55
122 Joseph Kastner S.C. 54
123 Evan Boutwell Ga. 53
124 James Mcmon Ala. 52
125 Jason Quinn S.C. 51
126 Landon Lomax Ala. 50
127 Jack Wade Tenn. 49
128 Bill Rea Ohio 48
129 Rodney Chastain S.C. 47
130 Robert Comalander Ala. 46
131 Larry Cahan Fla. 45
132 Thomas Little Va. 44
133 Kyle Walling Ky. 43
134 Jo Dee Lake Ala. 42
135 Wesley Parton Ala. 41
136 Tony Sapp Ga. 40
137 Paul Keltner Tenn. 39
138 Ronald Ryals Fla. 38
139 Russell Colwell Md. 37
140 Andy Morgan Tenn. 36
141 WM Kooi Fla. 35
142 Gary Riffle Texas 34
143 Tim Ezell Fla. 33
144 Paul Kimball Conn. 32
145 Randy Elliott Md. 31
146 Andy Gaia Texas 30
147 Steve Linville Ohio 29
148 David Burch Fla. 28
149 Brett Mitchell S.C. 27
150 Brian Hatfield Ky. 26
151 John Cromwell Tenn. 25
152 Harry Moore Ala. 24
153 Chris Anderson S.C. 23
154 Sam Swett La. 22
155 Jerry Morgan S.C. 21
156 John Strider N.C. 20
157 Robert Miley Fla. 19
158 Butch Tucker Ga. 18
159 Frank Jordan JR Ga. 17
160 Preston Henson Calif. 16
161 Derek Remitz Ala. 15
162 Jason Lieblong Ark. 14
163 Steve Hayden N.M. 13
164 Phillip Criss Ala. 12
165 Nick Supik Pa. 11
166 Jelani Hennessey Va. 10
167 Jeff Cloud Texas 9
168 Steven Wisdom Ala. 8
169 John Smith Ga. 7
170 Bo Bain Tenn. 6
171 Sam Greer Ky. 5
172 Keith Phillips Ala. 4
173 Gregory Roth Canada 3
174 Rick Morris Va. 2
175 Jim Turner Ind. 1
175 Paul Molan Ohio 1
175 Mark Cole N.C. 1
175 Gary Cronin Ga. 1
175 Allen Duke Fla. 1
175 Mary Delgado Fla. 1
175 Tim Saylor Tenn. 1
175 Scott Wiley Ala. 1
175 Bryan Talmadge Ala. 1
175 John Condray Fla. 1
175 John Dacko Mich. 1
175 Tom Ondras Ill. 1
175 Lee Sisson Fla. 1
175 Charlie Hill Ky. 1
175 Brian Mathis N.C. 1
175 Brannon Long Texas 1
175 Dean Rojas Ariz. 1
175 Billy Charland Fla. 1
193 Jason Seaton Ind. 0
193 Cecil Douberly Fla. 0
193 Cliff Prince Fla. 0
193 Mike Haggerty Tenn. 0
193 James Butler Tenn. 0