Casey Martin caught more than 40 pounds of bass to win a BFL event on Lake Guntersville. FLW Outdoors photo
March 07, 2017
By Scott Bernarde
Most bass anglers never catch in a lifetime what pro fisherman Casey Martin caught in one day last weekend on Lake Guntersville, Ala.
Casey Martin caught more than 40 pounds of bass to win a BFL event on Lake Guntersville. FLW Outdoors photo
The New Hope, Ala., angler, fishing on his home lake, caught five bass weighing an amazing 40 pounds, 11 ounces on March 4 to win the one-day T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Bama Division tournament.
It was the second-largest 5-bass catch in BFL history, according to FLW Outdoors. It also was the third-largest all-time in FLW-sponsored events.
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His total, which included a 9-9 brute that won the big fish award, was nearly double the second-place total — Tennessee pro Marshall Deakins caught 5 fish weighing 21-5. Martin took home $6,859 for the win.
"It was pretty insane to weigh in those bass. I'm still in disbelief. It happened so fast that it hasn't really sunk in yet." — Pro angler Casey Martin on his 5-fish, 40-11 limit at a BFL event on Lake Guntersville
After catching a quick limit, Martin said he decided to "swing for there fence" and target deeper water near causeways in the large northeast Alabama reservoir.
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"I came across a school of fish at one point, looked at my graph and it was lighting up," Martin said, according to a FLW news release. "I caught one bass that was close to 7 pounds, and within 10 minutes I had three more in the boat — a 9-pounder, and two in the 8-pound range.
Casey Martin with two of his 5-fish limit of bass. FLW Outdoors photo
"Later on I made a run to an area near Goose Pond and caught another 7-pounder out of some grass on a Rat-L-Trap. I didn't think I had 40 pounds, I thought I only had 33 or 34. I've seen those kinds of limits come in at BFL tournaments before."
Martin said  he used a Picasso Double Barrel ½-ounce underspin with a 4-inch Smoky Shad-colored Z-Man DieZel Minnowz to catch all but the 9-pounder. For that, he said he used a swimbait on a 3/4-ounce Freedom Tackle Hydra Hybrid Jig .