Hensley Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Opener At Lake Monroe

Last updated on Thursday, April 30, 2015

(BLOOMINGTON) - Todd Hensley of New Albany, Indiana, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the first Walmart Bass Fishing League Hoosier Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Monroe. For his victory, Hensley earned $4,584.

Todd Hensley of New Albany, Indiana, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the first Hoosier Division tournament on Lake Monroe and a check for $4,584. (FLW)

"It was a great day for a fishing tournament," said Hensley. "The fish were active and my strategy paid off."

Hensley said he flipped a green pumpkin-colored Lunker Lure jig along the bushes and willow trees in the main-lake area.

"The lake was flooded, so I wanted to concentrate on the bank line," said Hensley. "I couldn't believe how active the fish were in the shallower water.

Hensley originally had three spots he wanted to target, but ended up catching his biggest fish at one particular location.

"I hit one spot near Fairfax Marina and caught two 4-pounders and one 5-pounder in the first 90 minutes," said Hensley. "I switched up to a green pumpkin-colored Reactions Innovation Sweet Beaver but didn't find any success so I finished off the day with the jig.

"I only had six bites, but I ended up catching five of them. Luckily they were the ones I needed," Hensley said.

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

1st: Todd Hensley, New Albany, Ind., five bass, 15-11, $4,584
2nd: Luke Foli, Fishers, Ind., four bass, 14-1, $2,292
3rd: Mike Quinlin, Mooresville, Ind., four bass, 11-13, $1,529
4th: Terry Dillon, Danville, Ind., four bass, 11-3, $1,070
5th: Frank McClain, Scottsburg, Ind., three bass, 11-2, $917
6th: Lee Mills, Columbus, Ind., three bass, 10-8, $840
7th: George Brown, Camby, Ind., three bass, 9-10, $726
7th: Jimmy Shepherd, Indianapolis, Ind., three bass, 9-10, $726
9th: Roger Hahn, Fairfield, Ohio, three bass, 9-2, $611
10th:Calvin Davidson, Plainfield, Ind., three bass, 7-12, $535

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com. Steve Caudill of Morehead, Kentucky, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 1 ounce and earned the day's Big Bass award of $675. James McWhorter of Hamilton, Ohio, weighed in two bass limit totaling 6 pounds, 1 ounce Saturday to win $2,288 in the co-angler division. The top 10 co-anglers were:

1st: James McWhorter, Hamilton, Ohio, two bass, 6-1, $2,288
2nd: Jeremy Arnold, Austin, Ind., one bass, 5-13, $1,144
3rd: Jared Robinson, Vallonia, Ind., one bass, 5-8, $762
4th: Jim Betts, Fort Wayne, Ind., two bass, 4-14, $534
5th: Justin Clift, Indianapolis, Ind., one bass, 4-12, $458
6th: Heath Kohlmeier, Oakland City, Ind., one bass, 4-7, $419
7th: Marshall Lachecki, Indianapolis, Ind., one bass, 4-6, $381
8th: Ryan Sykes, Hamilton, Ohio, two bass, 4-5, $343
9th: Gary McClure, Churubusco, Ind., two bass, 4-4, $305
10th: Charles Hardin, Evansville, Ind., one bass, 4-3, $267

Arnold caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day's Big Bass award of $332.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.

The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing - the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

ABOUT FLW

FLW is the industry's premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2015 over the course of 240 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport's richest payday and most coveted championship trophy - the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated "FLW" television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. For more information about FLW visit FLWFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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