Lineberry nets co-angler title on Lake Okeechobee

Co-angler Greg Lineberry of Galax, Va., proudly displays his first-place trophy. Lineberry took home a check for $15,000. Photo by Gary Mortenson. Angler: Greg Lineberry.

January 25, 2002 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Virginia native outduels competition to grab top prize of $15,000

CLEWISTON, Fla. – Coming into the biggest tournament of his career, Greg Lineberry of Galax, Va., knew that he would need a little luck if he was to walk away with the prestigious FLW Co-angler Division title on Lake Okeechobee. So when he saw he was fishing in boat #7 on the final day of competition, Lineberry thought it just might provide the extra mojo he needed to claim victory. As it turned out, he was right.

Bolstered by a 13-pound, 11-ounce catch, Lineberry cruised to a first-place finish, besting his nearest competitor by a full 4 pounds.

“It’s awesome. I just can’t believe it,” said Lineberry. “When I drew boat #7, I thought about being lucky today. And everything just fell into place from there.”

Targeting spawning bass with a combination of soft jerkbaits, worms, a 6-inch shad assassin and a Gambler bacon rind, Lineberry managed a five-fish limit that dwarfed the competition. However, it wasn’t until he hooked into a 7-pound largemouth bass at 2 p.m. that he thought he had a shot at the title.

“That was the difference,” said Lineberry. “I’m just happy I got it into the boat.”

While Lineberry was pleased to walk away with the title, he took time to credit his pro partners for his success.

“I had three great partners who definitely helped to put me on fish,” he said. “Without them, it would have been difficult to win.”

Bruce bags second-place finish

John Bruce, son of fishing icon and FLW Tour pro Mickey Bruce, used a 9-pound, 10-ounce catch to finish in second place in the Co-angler Division. Despite landing in the runner-up position, however, Bruce said he was more than pleased with the outcome.

“I really started the year on the right foot. I’m very pleased,” said the native of Buford, Ga. “It feels really good. I couldn’t have asked for much more. I didn’t lose a fish all week, we had good weather and I had a really great partner.”

Like Lineberry, Bruce gave much of the credit for his performance to his pro partner.

“I struggled today, and if it wasn’t for Jimmi (Leunther), I wouldn’t have caught anything,” he said. “He gave me the lures, the hooks and he put me on fish. He really helped me out today. It’s very rare to find a pro who is that dedicated to helping his co-angler. I really appreciated what he did for me.”

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top five were Jason Knapp (third place) of Uniontown, Penn., with a catch of 8 pounds, 7 ounces; Mike McAdoo (fourth) of Murfreesboro, Tenn., with a catch of 7 pounds, 8 ounces; and Richard Lowitzki (fifth) of St. Charles, Ill., with a catch of 6 pounds, 12 ounces.

FLW co-angler tournament action will resume Feb. 13-16 at Lake Wheeler in Rogersville, Ala.