McMahon wins co-angler title at Kerr Lake

New Jersey rookie nets Ranger boat, $5,000 at first Stren Series event

HENDERSON, N.C. – Up until Wednesday, Michael McMahon had never fished an FLW Outdoors event. Saturday he left the Stren Series Northeast event on Kerr Lake and headed back to Hackettstown, N.J., with a brand new Ranger boat and $5,000 cash to boot.

“This is unbelievable,” gasped McMahon after winning the Co-angler Division of the Kerr Lake Stren event. “This is the first FLW Outdoors tournament I’ve ever fished, and I won – I don’t even know what to say.”

McMahon sacked the only co-angler limit today while fishing with eventual pro winner Larry Evans.

His limit, weighing 10 pounds, 12 ounces, gave him the co-angler win with a two-day total of 18 pounds, 15 ounces.

Over the last two days, the rookie co-angler used just one bait to amass his winning catch: a watermelon Senko.

“I had one Senko rigged weightless to skip under docks and another rigged Texas-style with a tiny 1/8-ounce weight that I used when casting out into deeper water,” McMahon said.

He caught some of his bass from depths of 20 feet.

“I’d cast it out there and just let it free-fall towards the bottom,” he said. “When I picked up the slack, the line would be heavy with a fish swimming away with it. It was awesome.”

Aptly enough, McMahon noted he used Stren 12-pound-test line on spinning outfits to catch all of his fish.

“I’ve been looking at buying a new house, so this money is going to come in handy,” he added.

Love runner-up

Gary Love of Roanoke Rapids, N.C., boated four fish for 10 pounds, 1 ounce to finish second with a two-day total of 17 pounds. He collected $4,000 for the runner-up position.

Love reported catching most of his bass by flipping docks with a 1/2-ounce jig.

High five

Gary Cossaboom of Winchester, Ontario, finished third with a two-day total of 15 pounds, 3 ounces and collected $3,480.

Moo Bae of West Friendship, Md., went from 10th to fourth with a two-day total of 12 pounds, 15 ounces, worth $2,480.

Jay Garrard of Durham, N.C., finished fifth with a two-day total of 12 pounds, 10 ounces.

Rest of the best

Rounding out the top-10 co-anglers in the Stren Series Northeast on Kerr Lake:

6th: Daniel Peterman of Hollidaysburg, Pa., 11-15, $1,880

7th: Greg Lineberry of Galax, Va., 10-12, $1,780

8th: Marc Wagy of Dewitt, Va., 10-1, $1,680

9th: Tim Privette of Wendell, N.C., 8-3, $1,580

10th: Tim Elliot of Kenbridge, Va., 6-2, $1,480