Gnewikow, Still the Man to Beat at Kentucky
By Lisa Talmadge
 Paris, TN..July 18, 2009...David Gnewikow of Mt. Juliet, TN is one step closer to the Bassmaster Classic with his first place victory in the Tennessee Central division earning $5,000 plus an extra $1000 from Triton Gold in the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series bass tournament held on Kentucky and Barkley Lakes. Gnewikow`s five bass limit weighed in at 19.85 pounds.
Gnewikow headed south toward the New Johnsonville area of Kentucky Lake after blasting off Saturday morning. With four wins under his belt since May on the Kentucky and Barkley Lakes, the Mt Juliet, TN angler definitely had a game plan. Things didn’t go according to plan due to an unseasonable cold front. At 9:00 am the winner had only an eleven to twelve pound limit and realized that one of his two pound fish was expired. Mentally, that was a big blow to his confidence believing that no one could win this tournament with a small dead fish in their bag. He kept grinding and fishing hard throughout the day, eventually coming across a “sweet spot” on a ledge that gave up one fish over six pounds and another over five pounds which helped him cull up to the his winning weight. Utilizing a Carolina Rig in 10 ft to 15 ft of water, Gnewikow covered as much productive water as possible throughout the day.
A big key in his victory was getting back in with one minute to spare for his check-in time. Normally he wouldn’t cut it so close but he didn’t notice how hard the wind was blowing and had to make a long run back in two to three foot waves. He said his Triton/Mercury rig was up to the task and got him and his co-angler back safely.
Boaters brought 127 fish to the scales with a total weight of 388.30 pounds: second – Dustin Evans of Eads, TN and Scott Brummett of Brentwood, TN with 18.69; fourth – Steve Mull of Lebanon, TN with 18.39; and fifth – Steve Swiantek of Cedar Hill, TN with 17.90. Boater big bass award went to Erwin Cole of Murfreesboro, TN for catching a 7.44 pound largemouth.
The co-anglers brought 92 fish to the scales with a total weight of 288.95 pounds. Dan Basham of Louisville, KY took first on the co-angler side with a total weight of 13.11 pounds. His bag also included the co-angler big bass of the tournament. Remaining top five co-anglers were: second – Michael Blackwell of Cordova, TN with 12.45; third – Braden Maddox of Huntingdon, TN with 11.82; fourth – Dixie Evans of Eads, TN with 11.32; and fifth Jeff Wheeley of Lafayette, TN with 11.08.
The Fifth and final tournament for Division 3 – Tennessee Central will be held September 12-13, 2009 on Percy Priest Lake launching from Fate Sanders Marina.
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