Ranger Angler Shawn Gordon Wins TBF National Championship on Grand Lake
Category: npaa
Apr 28th, 2015 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Apr 28th, 2015 at 12:00 AM
FLIPPIN, ARK. (April 28, 2015) – Ranger angler Shawn Gordon saved his best day for last, bringing 18 pounds, 10 ounces to the weigh-in stand on the third and final day of the 2015 The Bass Federation (TBF) National Championship. His three-day total of 50 pounds, 2 ounces on Oklahoma’s Grand Lake not only brought him the tournament win but it also ensures Gordon the chance at even more tournament paydays in the coming year.
With the win, Gordon received a $100,000 “Living the Dream” prize package, which includes use of a wrapped Ranger boat powered by Evinrude, as well as a tow vehicle and fully paid entry fees into the 2016 Walmart FLW Tour. The prize package also brought Gordon a $5,000 cash award plus automatic berths into the 2015 Forrest Wood Cup and 2015 Walmart BFL All-American.
Topping it off, Gordon added a Ranger Z518C and RangerTrail trailer to his TBF National Championship payday for winning the tournament as a Ranger Cup-qualified angler.
Gordon’s win came after the Russellville, Ark., native departed from his previous days’ sight-fishing pattern and opted for casting a square-billed crankbait in and around shallow spawning pockets, where he secured his five-fish limit by 9:30 on the final morning. The area was productive for his co-angler partner Gilbert Gagner, another Ranger angler, who pulled more than 16 pounds from the area on his way to winning the co-angler division.
“At 12:45, I caught one that was almost three pounds and when I went to cull, it wouldn’t cull,” Gordon said. “That’s about the time I thought, ‘Well, maybe I have a shot at this.’ I accomplished my initial goal of making it to the last day because you have to make the last day just to have a shot at winning.”
Coverage of Gordon’s win in the TBF National Championship will be broadcast at 7 p.m. (EST) November 9 on the NBC Sports Network as part of the 20th season “FLW.”
“Many of us at Ranger are well acquainted with Shawn and have followed his on-the-water results for a long time. We’re very excited to see such a great person win this prestigious and highly competitive tournament, especially because we know that the prize package will allow him to pursue his dream of fishing at the highest level,” said Ranger Boats Vice President of Marketing Bart Schad. “We look forward to seeing him compete in the year to come and know he will do Ranger and Arkansas proud when he competes in the FLW Cup on Lake Ouachita this summer.”
About Ranger Boats
Headquartered in Flippin, Ark., Ranger Boats is the nation’s premier manufacturer of legendary fiberglass and aluminum fishing boats, which include series of bass, multi-species, fish ‘n play, waterfowl utility and saltwater boats. Founded in 1968 by Forrest L. Wood, Ranger Boats continues its commitment to building the highest-quality, strongest-performing boats on the water. For more information, go to RangerBoats.com.