MUSKOGEE, Okla. – Blake Ellison of Inola, Okla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League Okie Division tournament on the Arkansas River. For his victory, Ellison earned $3,553.
“It feels pretty good,” said Ellison, who now has three tournament wins in BFL competition. “It was a really hot day out there. I decided to make the hour and a half run up to the Afton pool and it paid off. I had my limit by 11 a.m. We ran to two or three different spots up there, and then came back and finished the day closer to takeoff. Everything I weighed in came before 11 a.m., though.”
“We were fishing shallow in 1 to 5 feet of water,” Ellison continued. “I was targeting the stumps, laydowns and brush in the river. I caught eight keepers, and the bite was pretty steady throughout the day.
“I think that my choice of baits is what got me the victory,” Ellison went on to say. “I make my own soft plastics that are called Inferno Baits. I was throwing a black and blue craw, and it was the difference. There were other boats around me fishing the same spots, but I was the only one getting bit. I definitely believe that it was the bait.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Larry Flanary, Greenwood, Ark., five bass, 12-13, $1,777
3rd: Mario Riojas, Blanchard, Okla., five bass, 12-9, $1,185
4th: Earl Clinton, Stilwell, Okla., five bass, 12-0, $829
5th: Kevin Ledoux, Choctaw, Okla., five bass, 11-14, $711
6th: Al Monks, Panama, Okla., five bass, 11-9, $651
7th: Kevin Lindesmith, Waurika, Okla., five bass, 11-2, $592
8th: Mark Tyler, Vian, Okla., five bass, 11-0, $533
9th: Brian Fletcher, Muskogee, Okla., five bass, 10-12, $444
9th: Kyle Cortiana, Tulsa, Okla., five bass, 10-12, $444
Don Benson of Eufaula, Okla., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 11 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win $1,777 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Bill Gift, Alix, Ark., five bass, 10-10, $888
3rd: Landon Dixon, Hinton, Okla., five bass, 10-6, $592
4th: Darin Comstock, Denison, Texas, five bass, 9-6, $415
5th: Nick Milligan, Muskogee, Okla., four bass, 8-6, $355
6th: Tyler Keefner, Roland, Okla., four bass, 7-3, $326
7th: Cody Keener, Edmond, Okla., four bass, 7-2, $296
8th: Charles Weindel, Barling, Ark., three bass, 7-0, $267
9th: Matt Ellis, Muskogee, Okla., two bass, 6-8, $222
9th: Jonathan Shockey, Fort Smith, Ark., three bass, 6-8, $222
The final BFL Okie Division tournament is scheduled for Sept. 15-16 on Grand Lake in Grove, Okla. After that fifth Okie Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 18-20 Regional Championship on the Red River in Natchitoches, La. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.