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FLOYD ’ S MOvE TO THE FOREFRONT
BETHEL UNIVERSITY ’ S COLE FLOYD IS PUTTING THE FLW FIELD ON NOTICE WITH SIX TOP-10 FINISHES IN 2017
By Joe Sills
To say that Cole Floyd is on fire in the tournament world would be an understatement . At the tender age of 20 , the third-year Bethel University student is one of the hottest young guns in the FLW family , having bulldozed his way into September holding down the top spot in the Angler of the Year races of both the Costa FLW Series Central Division and the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League LBL Division .
A strong finish at the Lake of the Ozarks Central Division event in October will likely wrap up the AOY crown for the Leesburg , Ohio , native , who ’ s tallied six combined top-10 finishes in the BFL , Costa FLW Series and YETI FLW College Fishing trails this year , plus a runner-up finish with partner Carter McNeil at the Bassmaster College Series Championship .
The Costa FLW Series Central Division tournament on Kentucky Lake in June might be considered Floyd ’ s most stunning achievement to date . Competing against some of the Series ’ heaviest hitters , the Ohio angler finished runner-up to Tennessee River juggernaut Jason Lambert , whose 71- pound , 10-ounce sack was 7 ounces better than Floyd ’ s .
Starting Points
Floyd ’ s education in bass fishing began in an unlikely place , a corner of southern Ohio that could hardly be called a breeding ground of aspiring tournament stars .
An hour and a half east of Cincinnati , Paint Creek Lake and Rocky Fork Lake are perched on opposite sides of U . S . Highway 50 . At less than 2,000 acres apiece , they ’ re the kind of mid-sized , state-managed fisheries that aren ’ t large enough or prolific enough to get on the maps of the major tournament trails . They ’ re the kind of lakes that are home to countless dinks and occasional trophy
PHOTO BY DAVID A . BROWN
In June , Cole Floyd nearly took down Kentucky Lake ledge master Jason Lambert in a Costa FLW Series event , which put him on the map as a young gun to watch .
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