| 

McMullin wins Stren Series event on Kentucky Lake

Category: Tournament

 May 5th, 2008 by OutdoorsFIRST 

Modified May 5th, 2008 at 12:00 AM

BENTON, Ky. – Pro Bobby McMullin of Pevely, Mo., caught a five-bass limit weighing 17 pounds Saturday to win the Stren Series Central Division tournament on Kentucky Lake with a four-day total of 20 bass weighing 64-07. For his victory, McMullin earned $25,000 cash.
"An old-timer won it," said McMullin, who has had 28 top-10 finishes in Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League and Stren Series tournaments since 1999. "I worked in a factory for 40 years and tried to get off work to fish all my life. Now I'm 65, retired and have time to fish; this win is just icing on the cake."

McMullin caught his bass on a variety of baits, which included crankbaits, jerkbaits, spooks and jigs. Only fishing Lake Barkley the first day of the tournament, he stayed on Kentucky, between Moors and the dam, the remainder of the competition.

"If I got behind someone, I'd fish a green-pumpkin centipede with a weight," McMullin said. "I didn't catch big fish; they've been running about the same size all week."

McMullin's consistency paid off this time, getting him the win he's been waiting for.

"I've been dreaming about winning a big one," McMullin said. "I haven't even won a BFL; I've had three second-place finishes in BFL tournaments on Kentucky Lake. You don't know how it feels; I didn't know I could come back to win being 3 pounds behind the leader."

McMullin opened the tournament in 10th place Wednesday with five bass weighing 15-15 that he caught while fishing Lake Barkley. On Thursday he added another five bass weighing 15-13 to capture his lead. He then caught five bass weighing 15-11 Friday to make the crucial top 10 cut in fifth place.

Rounding out the top five pros are Mark Rose of Marion, Ark. (20 bass, 63-06, $9,832 plus $5,000 Ranger bonus); Nate Wellman of Jenison, Mich. (19 bass, 60-04, $8,849 plus $5,000 Ranger bonus); Troy Eakins of Nixa, Mo. (20 bass, 60-03, $7,866); and Michael Wooley of Collierville, Tenn. (20 bass, 60-02, $6,883).

Stephen Smith of Glenwood, Ark., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Wednesday – a 7-pound largemouth – that earned him the day's Snickers Big Bass award of $295.
Overall there were 42 bass weighing 120 pounds, 10 ounces caught by 10 pros Saturday. The catch included 6 five-bass limits.

B.J. Nelson of Louisa, Ky., won the Co-angler Division and $5,000, including a 198VX Ranger boat, with a four-day total of 16 bass weighing 45-08.

"What a week it's been," Nelson said. "I lost fish both yesterday and today, but I just kept fishing and kept pushing."

Nelson said he had been flipping all week, but every day was different. After starting out on a jig, he made the switch to a Carolina rig with a green-pumpkin Paca Craw.

"I'd really like to give a big thank you to my dad," Nelson said. "He took me fishing when I was 5 years old and taught me everything."

Nelson caught five bass weighing 12-15 Wednesday while fishing with pro Jerry McKinnis of Little Rock, Ark., to open the tournament in seventh place. He then caught five bass weighing 16-12 Thursday fishing shallow with a jig while fishing with pro Britt Cone of Benton, Ky., to capture his lead. On Friday he added four more bass weighing 8-10 to make the top 10 cut in first place while fishing shallow with pro Keith Simmons of Sitka, Ky. Finally, on Saturday, he sealed the win with a two-bass catch weighing 7-03 while fishing off banks with pro Nate Wellman of Jenison, Mich.

Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Mitch Greenwood of Russellville, Ky. (17 bass, 45-05, $3,947); Joey Rogers of Mayfield, Ky. (14 bass, 43-08, $3,207); Tim Rhoades of Leitchfield, Ky. (14 bass, 36-00, $2,467); and Clint Williams of Fayetteville, Ark. (9 bass, 33-04, $1,974).

Mark Martin of Ozark, Mo., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Thursday – a 6-pound, 12-ounce largemouth – that earned him the day's Snickers Big Bass award of $148.

Overall there were 21 bass weighing 61 pounds, 14 ounces caught by 10 co-anglers Saturday. The catch included 2 five-bass limits.

The next Stren Series Central Division event, hosted by Fort Madison Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, will be held July 23-26 on the Mississippi River in Fort Madison, Iowa. Boats will launch from Captain Kirk's Marina in Fort Madison and the final weigh-in will be held at the Wal-Mart located at 324 West Agency Road in West Burlington.

After four qualifying events are complete in each of the Stren Series' five divisions, the top 40 pros from each division will advance to the $1 million Stren Series Championship in Branson, Mo., Nov. 5-8 for a shot at $140,000. The highest-finishing pro from each division at the championship will also earn a spot in the $2 million 2009 Forrest Wood Cup, where they will compete against top pros from the Wal-Mart FLW Tour®, Wal-Mart FLW Series®, Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League® and TBF (The Bass Federation) for bass fishing's biggest prize – $1 million.

Tournament pros aren't the only ones winning big this season. With the introduction of FLW Fantasy Fishing™, FLW Outdoors® offers anyone the opportunity to enter for their chance to land the catch of a lifetime with the opportunity to win $7.3 million in cash and prizes. Players can become a virtual pro angler by signing up for Player's Advantage, providing them with exclusive insider information that could guide them to a $100,000 victory at every Wal-Mart FLW Tour® stop and the Forrest Wood Cup. Player's Advantage will give them an edge over the competition and increase their shot for a $1 million cash grand prize that will be awarded to the FLW Fantasy Fishing cumulative points winner. Those who visit FantasyFishing.com today can sign up for Player's Advantage and FLW Outdoors will include a $15 Wal-Mart gift card.

The top 40 co-anglers from each Stren Series division will also advance to the championship, where they will fish for as much as $70,000. The highest-finishing co-angler from each division at the championship will then advance to the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup.

FLW Outdoors historically maintains a 98 percent live release rate in all of its bass tournaments.
FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world. In 2008 alone the organization is offering more than 90,000 anglers the chance to win over $40 million through 230 tournaments in 10 circuits targeting bass, walleye, redfish, kingfish and striped bass. FLW Outdoors is also taking fishing mainstream with the largest cash awards in the history of fantasy sports, $7.3 million.

For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing and Player's Advantage, visit FantasyFishing.com.