Walker Brown (left)
and Jon David Bedford
and Allenbrand, who were coached by
Davis’ father, legendary Bassmaster Elite
Series pro mark Davis, returned to a spot
they had fished in practice and found
that it apparently hadn’t been exploited
by others. Before they started fishing it,
they had two largemouths for about 8
pounds, but dragged Strike King football
jigs with Strike King menace Grub trailers
(green pumpkin) to fill out their limit at
“the green buoy” hole along the main
channel. They returned to the weigh-in
at mcFarland Park with a 23-pound, 10-
ounce limit on day three, which gave
them 53-6 for the tournament.
meanwhile, seniors-to-be Culpepper
and Waddell had been milking a ledge in
about 12 feet of water across the lake
from the old Colbert County Steam Plant
and upstream from Kroger Island. After
the second day, the Georgia anglers had a
lead of just over 2 pounds ahead of
Tankersley and Nicholson (36-09 to 34-
02), and 5 pounds better than eventual
third-place finishers Hunter Nanney and
Jake Kimbrough of the North mississippi
Student Anglers (31-05). In the champi-
onship round, though, Waddell and
Culpepper could only muster a limit total-
ing 14-15, and finished behind Davis and
Allenbrand with 51-08. The Georgia pair
fished Texas-rigged Zoom Ol’ monster
worms (black grape) with 3/8-ounce
weights and caught most of their fish
from a ditch lined with shells and grass.
Kimbrough and Nanney brought in 19-06
on day three for 50-11 overall. They fished
a variety of jigs and soft plastics and ran a
ledge milk run.
The heaviest bass of the tourna-
ment – and the week – was a 9-pound,
11-ounce behemoth caught on a
crankbait by Kyle Roy of a Russell
County (Ky.) High School team.
OctOber 2017 I fLWfIshIng.cOm
the World finals
Saturday, weights were zeroed for
the World Finals for 31 teams that
included the top 10 from the National
Championship, 20 from the World
Finals semi-final round and “second
chance round,” plus a “lucky dog” team
whose name was drawn the previous
evening at The Bass Federation’s annu-
al pizza party.
Despite it being a typical weekend,
with little current flowing down the
lake, and following three days of hard
fishing, Pickwick was still good for a few
pro-quality stringers. Bedford and
Brown paced the field with 24-09, and
behind them Reed and Johns, though
one bass shy of a limit, still placed sec-
ond with 22-0.
Central Florida anglers Fisher
Omans and Steven Steinard, used to
fishing shallow water with lots of grass
in it, made the best of an unfamiliar
fishing scenario and scored a third-
place showing with 20-04.
After a slow start and losing two solid
keepers right off the bat, sophomores
Bedford and Brown settled down and
took advantage of a midmorning feeding
flurry on a ledge between the bridge and
Waterloo. They alternated Jenko Fishing
Booty Shaker Swimbaits (white with gold-
en belly) and Davis jigs with Strike King
Rage Craw trailers (green pumpkin).
Runners-up Reed and Johns fished shal-
low cover in Coffee Slough with Zoom
Brush Hogs in a variety of dark colors to
amass their stringer.
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