Carden claims dominant win in Lay qualifier
By Greg McCain

Two anglers with contrasting experiences on Lay Lake won their respective divisions in the Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier Saturday (April 15, 2023).

Former Bassmaster Classic participant Coby Carden, who lives on the lower end of the lake, has won countless tournaments on Lay Lake through the years and added yet another Saturday, easily topping a 100-boat field. Carden (LA PO Boys) brought in what he called his “biggest weight in two years” on Lay with a 22.74 limit.

Charles Biggs (Wiregrass Bassmasters) finished second with 18.56, and David Wesson (Neely Henry Bassmasters continued his hot start to the ABN season with 17.67 and third place overall.

Among the co-anglers, Colby Bendall (Belgreen Bass Club) has only fished Lay a few times with a previous-best finish of sixth in an ABN event. The limited experience did not stop hom from cashing in with a three-fish limit that topped the field of co-anglers. His three largemouth, all caught on a frog, weighed 10.58.

Richard White (Alex City Bassmasters) trailed Bendall in second place with 9.39. Jonathan Barnette (Carbon Hill Bass Club) claimed third with 9.04.

Carden and his son Caston combined to win the team competition in the tournament. Caston finished eighth overall among co-anglers, and their 30.57 boat total easily topped team competitors and qualified them for the team portion of the ABN State Championship on Pickwick Lake in the fall.

Coby Carden also won money as the top finisher among Fishin’ 4 A Cure competitors and as a Amfirst BASSCASH participant. Winning anglers who finance boats or tow vehicles with AmFirst are eligible for prize winnings.

“We ran from Spring Creek to Logan Martin Dam,” Carden said while waiting for the scales to close. “We covered some ground.”

He said two bigger largemouth – the biggest at 5.70 – proved critical to his winning total. He caught one of the bigger fish on a frog and the other flipping shallow grass.

Wesson, who maintained his Angler of the Year lead through three ABN events, also caught a trophy largemouth – the Academy Sports + Outdoors Big Fish for the tournament – in the grass. He said the 7.33 fish nailed a Dirty Jigs swim jig.

Taking a similar, shallow approach, Bendall fished behind boater Pat Murray (Belgreen Bass Club) and took advantage of limited early bites to secure the co-angler title.

“Everything was over by about eight,” Bendall said. “I got five bites and managed to catch three of them. My heart’s still racing.”

In addition to his limited experience on Lay, Bendall said the tournament was basically the first time that he had caught bass on a frog. He and Murray found the fish in practice on Thursday, and Bendall took advantage in the opening minutes of the tournament. The fish hit a frog marketed by an ABN sponsor, Strike Zone Lures of Eufaula.

Rounding out the top 10 among boaters were C.J. Knight (Marathon Bassmasters, 17.25), Joe Lay (Lake Tuscaloosa Bassmasters, 16.90); Andrew Vitu (Alex City Bassmasters, 15.11); Anthony Goggins (Wiregrass Bassmasters, 14.73); Justin Nichols (Fayette Bass Club, 14.49); Bo Quinnie (Wiregrass Bassmasters, 13.76); and Lee Byrd (Birmingham Bass Club, 13.42).

In the co-angler division, other top finishers were Rebecca Smith (Shotgun Sports Supply, 8.93); Jordan Luster (Tallapoosa River Anglers, 8.25; Gavin Webb (Wiregrass Bassmasters, 8.17); Tyler Minor (Tallapoosa River Anglers, 8.03); Carden (Shelby County Fishing Team, 7.83); Hudson Choquette (University of Montevallo, 7.80); and Scott (Rich Pro Line Bassmasters, 7.78). Choquette holds a small lead over Bill Spencer (Wiregrass Bassmasters) in the AOY standings among co-anglers.

Following the Cardens in the team category were Vitu and White, Nichols and Will Delaney, Goggins and Bryant Bilotto, Nikki Hatten and Minor, Brent Reaves and Alan Morgan, Trevor Elliott and Matthew Berthiaume, Scott Luster and Jordan Luster, and Don Cox and Donny Davis. Qualifiers for the state tournament went through Cox and Davis in ninth place because of previous qualifications and because some of the top finishers are not eligible for the national team competition due to age.

A final winner Saturday was Matthew Duke, who claimed the Academy drawing. ABN anglers submit their Academy receipts prior to each event, and the $100 winner is drawn at weigh-in.

Photos of the event can be found at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAA8hd.

ABN president Eddie Plemons thanks all the sponsors who support the season-long tournaments. In addition to Academy, they include Airport Marine, AmFirst BassCash, Fish Life Fish Care Products, Office Partners, Halo Rods, Radicull Culling Devices, Davis Bait Co., George Paint and Body, BassCats Boats, Nitro Boats, Triton Boats, Mercury, Motor Guide, Lowrance, NetBait, Shell, Hammer Rods, Shelby County, Strike Zone Lures, Charlie’s BBQ, the Rod Glove, T-H Marine, Power-Pole, and Alabama Hosting.

The ABN season continues in June on Pickwick Lake with the final regular qualifier. The state championship returns to Pickwick with two days of competition Nov. 3-4.

Greg McCain is a freelance writer from Russellville, AL, and a member of the Belgreen Bass Club. In addition to producing content for this website, his recent credits include articles in Georgia Outdoor News, the ACC Crappie Stix blog, the Cornfield Fishing Gear website, CrappieNOW online magazine, and Great Days Outdoors.