Tennessee’s Deakins leads Day One of T-H Marine BFL All-American Tournament on Pickwick Lake
Category: press release
Jun 2nd, 2017 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Nov 20th, 2018 at 9:55 PM
Boater Marshall Deakins of Dunlap, Tennessee, took the early lead at the 34th annual T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American on Pickwick Lake Thursday with a five-bass limit weighing 24 pounds, 6 ounces. Deakins will begin Day Two of the three-day competition with a 2-pound, 14-ounce lead over second-place angler Mike Brueggen of La Crosse, Wisconsin, who weighed in five bass totaling 21 pounds, 8 ounces.
The BFL All-American features 98 of the best boaters and co-anglers from across the 24-division T-H Marine BFL circuit casting for cash prizes of up to $120,000 in the Boater Division and $60,000 in the Co-angler Division. In addition to the six-figure payout, the top boater will receive an invitation to compete for bass fishing’s most coveted prize – the Forrest Wood Cup – held Aug. 11-13 on Lake Murray in Columbia, South Carolina.
“I’m catching them two or three different ways,” said Deakins, who qualified for the event through the BFL Choo Choo division. “I’ve caught some fish from grass, rocks and shell beds. I’ve got two or three areas that are really good, and I just kept rotating through them. The fish are in the same places that I found them in during pre-practice.”
Deakins said he used a jig to catch his fish. He said he didn’t encounter much boat traffic, and was able to put together a limit fairly quickly.
“I made a lot of stops, but my primary areas are 4 to 5 miles apart,” said Deakins. “I caught a couple of big fish at the first location, and another decent one at the second. I probably put at least 10 keepers in the boat throughout the day and culled a few times later on.”
Deakins said he believes the color of his jig is one of the most important factors in his strategy, and that he plans on following the same pattern on Day Two.
“I’ve got some more places like the areas from today that I haven’t hit yet,” said Deakins. “I can’t wait to get back out there.”
The top 10 boaters after Day One on Pickwick Lake are:
1st: Marshall Deakins, Dunlap, Tenn., five bass, 24-6
2nd: Mike Brueggen, La Crosse, Wis., five bass, 21-8
3rd: Ronald Nutter, Saint Louisville, Ohio, five bass, 20-7
4th: Jeff Knight, Cleveland, Tenn., five bass, 18-4
5th: Brent Anderson, Kingston Springs, Tenn., five bass, 17-6
6th: Brandon Gray, Bullock, N.C., five bass, 17-2
7th: Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., five bass, 16-13
8th: Conrad Bolt, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 16-8
9th: Tyler Morgan, Columbus, Ga., five bass, 16-6
10th: Adam Ohms, Edwardsville, Ill., five bass, 16-3
For a full list of results, visit FLWFishing.com.