Georgia Bass Tournament Results – April 2002

April 6, 2002: Walmart BFL, Oconee

Sugar Creek Marina hosted the second of five Walmart BFL tournaments to be fished this season.

In a competitive tournament of some of the state’s finest anglers, Jim Murray Jr., of Arabi, took first place with five fish that went 18-lbs., 2-ozs. Jim caught his first two fish on a Strike King jig, and then he headed down toward the dam, in the Richland Creek area, where he found plenty of bass on the beds.

Winner of the Walmart BFL tournament on Lake Oconee, Jim Murray Jr. holds up his best two bass of the tournament.

Two years ago Jim finished second in a B.A.S.S. event on Seminole by sight-fishing, so when he found bedded bass he was in business.

Using a Zoom green tube jig he was able to finish out his limit and collect $5,000 for first place.

Second place went to Norris Edge, of Buckhead. Norris brought up a limit of fish to the scales that weighed 15-lbs., 13-ozs. Norris walked away with a sizeable check for $2,500. Mike Cleveland, of Covington, took home third place and $1,500. Mike had a limit that weighed 14-lbs., 12-ozs.

Big fish for the tournament went to Brian Christian of Comer. The 8-lb., 4-oz. fish was worth $1,000.

Bass were caught shallow from a foot of water out to 6 feet. Most anglers threw spinnerbaits around rocks and shallow wood cover.

After two tournaments, Greg Pugh, of Culman, Ala., leads the Bulldog Division with 369 points. In second is Donald Eaton, of Covington, with 366 and Ken Crumpler, of Mariana, Fla., with 355.

April 6, 2002:  R&R, Eufaula

Fifty-nine teams competed for the first-place prize of $2,000 in the R&R bass tournament on Lake Eufaula.

Joe Buchanan, of Abbeville, Ala., and Robert Thompson, of Eufaula, Ala., took the first-place check home when they weighed-in five fish that went 18.61 pounds. Joe and Robert were successful throwing Carolina- and Texas-rigs in brushpiles in 8- to 12-feet of water.

The team of Jim Merritt and Brian Key, both from Bainbridge, collected $1,000 for first place. Their 5-fish limit weighed 14.59 pounds, and they caught their fish on Carolina rigs 12- to 15-feet deep on creek points on the south end of the lake.

Collecting $800 for third place was George McWaters, of Thomaston, and Tommy Floyd, of Eufaula, Ala., The team fished Carolina rigs around 6- to 8-foot brushpiles in Barbour Creek, and it helped them catch 14.57 pounds worth of fish.

David Cole, from Eufaula, Ala., holds up big bass for the R&R tourney on Lake Eufaula, a 6.15-pounder.

Big fish for the day was caught by the sixth-place team of David Cole, from Eufaula, and Les Bratcher, from Ashford, Ala., They Carolina-rigged a black/red flaked Zoom Speed Worm around stumps in Pataula Creek. The lunker weighed 6.15 pounds and was worth $500.

April 7, 2002: Angler’s Choice, West Point

It seemed the practice rounds went better for most of the 46 teams that fished the fifth Angler’s Choice tournament of the season. This one was hosted by Southern Harbor on West Point on April 7.

The team of Bud and Reuben Chandler from Buford caught a limit five fish, and they weighed 17.11 pounds. The payout for the victory was $1,385. As luck would have it the team also had big fish for the tourney, a 7.03-pounder worth an additional $300. Back at the weigh-in, they told tournament director Danny Davis they caught their fish on Carolina-rigs.

Second place went to Danny Tinsley and Chip Rodgers. Their 5-fish limit pulled the scales down to the 12.08-lb. mark, and they walked away with a hefty check for $690 — not bad for a day on the water.

The team of Darren Taylor and Eddie Nation missed second place by only five ounces, but their limit weighed 12.03 pounds and was worth $615.