Russellville angler tops at Grand Lake

ROGERS -- Another champion was crowned Saturday before the FLW Tour's weigh-in at the John Q. Hammons Center as Shawn Gordon of Russellville won The Bass Federation National Championship at Grand Lake O' the Cherokees in Oklahoma.

Gordon outfished the rest of The Bass Federation's regional champions Thursday through Saturday, catching a total of 15 bass weighing 50 pounds, 2 ounces, to earn a berth in the Forrest Wood Cup in August at Lake Ouachita, and also in the BFL All-American June 18-20 at Kentucky/Barkley Lake at Buchanan, Tenn. He also won $100,000, a new Ranger Z3 bass boat package and an opportunity to fish the FLW Tour in 2016.

"All of the feelings are a lot to take in right now," said Gordon who acknowledged that he doesn't know if he can take time off work to fish the FLW Tour.

Although Grand Lake has a much more diverse array of cover and structure than Beaver Lake, Gordon said his fishing strategy was simple. On the first day he fished shallow pockets with a squarebill crankbait.

"I also found a lot of fish along rocky points," Gordon said. "I probably fished four or five spots. After that I'd head down the lake to sight fish to finish out the day."

Gordon said he used an off-white squarebill. For sight fishing he a used green-pumpkin YUM Christie Craw. Because of windy weather, he was unable to sight fish Saturday.

"I already made the All-American, so I figured the worst that could happen is that I'd made the All-American," Gordon said. "I ground lip off squarebill all day long."

Sports on 04/26/2015

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