Jay Wallen of Lexington was the big winner Sunday in the two-day Hobie Bass Open Fishing Tournament on Kentucky Lake after finishing third the last two years. Wallen’s two-day total of 115.5 inches edged out second place finisher Joshua Steward of Waverly, Tennessee, whose two-day total was 114.25 inches. Rounding out the top three was Drew Russell of Louisville in a field of 115 anglers in the adult division.
Wallen earned $4,000 in the win but more importantly an all-expense paid trip to the Hobie Fishing World Championships. Stewart earned $2,500 and a berth in the World Championships and Russell took home a check for $1,700. The site for the World Championships will be announced later this summer.
Local sponsors of the Hobie Bass Open are the Kentucky Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau, Kentucky Dam Village State Resort Park and Calvert City.