By BassFan Staff
It looked like Michael Wooley was taking a step backward in his second season on the FLW Tour. Through the first four events, he'd alternated mediocre showings with outright bombs and was buried in 101st place in the Angler of the Year race.
After winning the event at Lake Chickamauga on Sunday, he still has virtually no chance of duplicating the 30th-place points finish he achieved as a rookie. However, he ensured that the campaign will be a profitable one and that he'll be able to return for a third pro season if he so chooses.
He took home $125,500, which was more than triple the amount he garnered during his much more consistent maiden season.
"Financially, I wasn't even sure if I was going to be able to fish the Tour next year, and now I definitely can if I want to," said the 28-year-old former machinist from Collierville, Tenn. "(Pulling out) had started to cross my mind this year, having such a bad season and never being able to get on a good roll.
"That starts to weigh on your mind when you look at the financial side of it."
He secured the victory with a 19-06 stringer that gave him a 92-04 total for 4 days. He began the day with a 6-pound lead and thwarted a furious charge by Stetson Blaylock, who had a 9 1/2-pounder on his day-best 24-01 stringer.
Blaylock finished about a pound and a half back with a 90-13 aggregate. David Dudley ended up 3rd with 85-09 after catching 23-07 on the final day and Darrell Davis logged a career-best 4th-place finish with a 77-12 total (18-07 on day 4).
Larry Nixon, the 64-year-old legend, moved up one place in the standings despite weighing just 12-10 Sunday and rounded out the Top 5 with a 72-08 total.
Here's how the bottom half of the Top 10 finished up:
6. Terry Bolton: 71-12
7. Richard Peek: 70-03
8. Bill McDonald: 68-11
9. Bryan Thrift: 68-01
10. Michael Neal: 62-08
Thrift boated just three fish for 5-11 on day 4 to drop six places in the standings, but left with a consolation prize – the lead in the AOY race with only the derby later this month at the Potomac River remaining. He has a 9-point edge over John Cox and a 35-point advantage over 3rd-place Scott Martin, who won at the Potomac in 2012.
Wooley was forced to bounce around quite a bit on day 4 when his honey hole didn't produce in the morning.
It was also a frustrating day for hometown favorite Michael Neal, who had just a pair of 2-pounders to show the partisan crowd in Dayton, Tenn. Nonetheless, his finish moved him up to 38th in the points, which is very near the mark where the Forrest Wood Cup cutoff will fall after the Potomac tournament.
Wooley Relieved
> Day 4: 5, 19-06 (20, 92-04)
Tour-level winner is a title Wooley hadn't yet fully grasped in the aftermath of his triumph.
"I don't know if it's sunk in yet," he said. "It feels great for sure. It's a big relief.
"I thought Stetson had me and he thought I had him. I really didn't think I had enough weight and the time right before I weighed in was very tense. When I saw his fish (backstage), I didn't think I had enough to beat him because I was thinking I only had 17-something."
The biggest fish in Wooley's bag was a 4 3/4-pounder – only half the size of Blaylock's monster.
"It was a grind for me today. My starting hole, where I'd caught pretty much all my weight the whole tournament, I only caught two fish there. It started scaring me because I really hadn't done all that well off the other schools.
A 9 1/2-pound bruiser allowed Stetson Blaylock to give Wooley a run for his money.
"I left there and went to a couple other places and I finished my limit at 10:30 with my best fish, and that calmed me down. I ended up culling two more times off another school."
All of his weigh-in fish were enticed by either a jig or a worm. Full details of his winning pattern, as well as those of the other top finishers, will be published this week.
2nd: Blaylock not Bummed
> Day 4: 5, 24-01 (20, 90-13)
Blaylock was content with his runner-up showing, pointing out that if he hadn't run into a massive fish, Wooley's victory margin would've been considerably greater.
"It's tough when you don't win, but it's also one of those deals when you're behind by as much as I was, you just go out and catch everything you can. I was fortunate to get that giant bite – without it, I wouldn't have been where I was. I'm happy with that."
He also had a 5-pounder in his sack which, like the 9 1/2, came relatively late in the day. He handled 10 or 12 keepers.
"I lost one (on day 3) that might've made the difference," he said. "It's tough to tell when you don't really get a look at them, but it's possible."
3rd: Dudley Happy
> Day 4: 5, 23-07 (20, 85-09)
Dudley's finish was his best since his magical 2012 campaign, when he won twice and claimed his second straight AOY title and third overall.
"It's all good," he said. "In my opinion, anytime you make the Top 20 out of (147) guys, you're on No. 1-in-the-world pace. I far exceeded my expectations for this tournament."
He caught eight or nine keepers Sunday, including an 8-06 brute from a dock on spinning gear that he somehow prevented from breaking him off on the ladder or one of the poles.
David Dudley's 3rd-place finish was his best since his superb 2012 season.
He had to hurry home to Virginia, as he'll host a week-long fishing camp for kids ages 7 to 12 on the 2 1/2-acre pond on his property beginning Monday.
"I wish I could have a day of rest, but I'm not going to get it," he said. "The camp is a very rewarding thing, but it's a lot of work."
4th: Davis Pleased
> Day 4: 5, 18-07 (20, 77-12)
Davis, who's fished the Tour since 2011, was thrilled to post his first Top-5 showing. It was his third consecutive placement among the Top 20.
"This is what I've been striving for," he said. "I've been so close to making Top 10s all year and I had things go wrong – key fish would get off or break off.
"Once I made the Top 10 (in 7th), I figured I probably couldn't win it, but I could make a run at the Top 5. It worked out."
He boated 9 keepers, the biggest of which weighed 6 pounds.
"I lost a 5 and they got it on camera," he said. "I would've gained 3 pounds with that fish, but it wouldn't have made me finish any higher."
5th: Nixon Feels Good
> Day 4: 5, 12-10 (20, 72-08)
Nixon hadn't posted a Top-5 since he won at the Detroit River 3 years ago. It moved him from 30th to 19th in the points race – well inside the Cup cutoff.
It was his third consecutive Top-25 after a lackluster start to the season.
"It feels really good," he said. "My goal was to make sure I got a check and some decent points. Now I can go to the Potomac and finish just about anywhere in the Top 100 and still make (the Cup).
"I'm on a roll now, though, so I might as well keep it going."
His final-day bag was highlighted by a pair of 3 1/2-pounders.
"I didn't have a good day and I was surprised that I actually moved up."
Notable
> Day 4 stats – 10 anglers, 7 limits, 1 four, 1 three, 1 two.
> Bolton has gained 45 places in the AOY race over the past two events (he was 17th at Lake Eufaula) and will make the Cup with another high finish at the Potomac. He caught fish at Chickamauga on a variety of offerings, including Rapala and Storm crankbaits and several different Zoom plastics. "I needed these two Top-20s to get back in the hunt," he said. "The Potomac is a place where I traditionally haven't done well, but at least I'm not going there in 80-something place (in the points)."
> Thrift's day-4 bag was nearly 20 pounds lighter than the one he weighed the previous day. "I really don't know what was different," he said. "I never got in a groove and I never got comfortable with anything. Every time I'd do something, I'd stay for 5 minutes and it wouldn't feel right. I ended up running around like a chicken with its head cut off for most of the day."
Day 4 (Final) Standings
1. Michael Wooley -- Collierville, Tn -- 26-2 (5) -- 23-5 (5) -- 23-7 (5) -- 19-6 (5) -- 92-4 (20) -- $125,500
2. Stetson Blaylock -- Benton, Ar -- 18-7 (5) -- 22-9 (5) -- 25-12 (5) -- 24-1 (5) -- 90-13 (20) -- $29,154
3. David Dudley -- Lynchburg, Va -- 18-14 (5) -- 23-4 (5) -- 20-0 (5) -- 23-7 (5) -- 85-9 (20) -- $24,288
4. Darrell Davis -- Dover, Fl -- 22-7 (5) -- 15-11 (5) -- 21-3 (5) -- 18-7 (5) -- 77-12 (20) -- $19,421
5. Larry Nixon -- Bee Branch, Ar -- 17-5 (5) -- 19-14 (5) -- 22-11 (5) -- 12-10 (5) -- 72-8 (20) -- $18,448
6. Terry Bolton -- Paducah, Ky -- 20-9 (5) -- 18-13 (5) -- 16-14 (5) -- 15-8 (5) -- 71-12 (20) -- $17,474
7. Richard Peek -- Centre, Al -- 16-15 (5) -- 20-11 (5) -- 19-11 (5) -- 12-14 (5) -- 70-3 (20) -- $16,501
8. Bill McDonald -- Greenwood, In -- 29-12 (5) -- 15-9 (5) -- 14-10 (5) -- 8-12 (4) -- 68-11 (19) -- $15,528
9. Bryan Thrift -- Shelby, NC -- 16-6 (5) -- 20-15 (5) -- 25-1 (5) -- 5-11 (3) -- 68-1 (18) -- $14,554
10. Michael Neal -- Dayton, Tn -- 23-6 (5) -- 18-5 (5) -- 16-9 (4) -- 4-4 (2) -- 62-8 (16) -- $13,581
