Walser Nets 13th Title
Guffey earns co-angler trophy in North Carolina Division event
Robert Walser of Lexington, North Carolina, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division tournament on High Rock Lake Saturday with five bass weighing 21 pounds, 13 ounces. With his win – his 13th on the BFL circuit – Walser tied the BFL all-time wins record held by Dick Shaffer of Rockford, Ohio.
“I caught my fish flipping docks with a [Zoom] Z Craw and Z Hogs,” says Walser, who earned $6,141 for his victory – his second BFL win in 2019. “The Garmin Panoptix allowed me to see the brush under the docks – some had it and some didn’t, but it was nice to know where it was when I was flipping. I rotated through three colors, which were darker colors and green-pumpkins. My bait choice depended on the water color and sky conditions.
“I primarily fished mid-lake, which encompassed five of the creeks I fished,” continues Walser. “The water was low enough where you could get under the bridges, which hasn’t happened in a while. That allowed me to spread out a bit more.”
Walser fished an 8-foot Lamiglas 806 flipping stick with a Pflueger Supreme XT casting reel, spooled with 20-pound-test Berkley Trilene 100 percent Fluorocarbon line. He flipped with a 5/16-ounce Eco Pro tungsten weight with a 3/0-sized Berkley Fusion19 Superline EWG hook.
“I caught at least three to four limits out there, and had my first five in the boat before 9 [a.m.],” says Walser.
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 21-13, $4,141 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Dylan Fulk, Mount Pleasant, N.C., five bass, 21-5, $1,517
2nd: Michael Stephens, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 21-5, $1,867
4th: Wyatt Hammond, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 19-5, $850
5th: Mike Winchester, Bryson City, N.C., five bass, 19-1, $728
6th: Craig Chambers, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 18-8, $668
7th: Junior Allen, Biscoe, N.C., five bass, 18-0, $607
8th: Byron Brush, Rockwell, N.C., five bass, 17-7, $546
9th: Jody Wright, Ellenboro, N.C., five bass, 17-6, $485
10th: Brian File, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 17-3, $425
Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.
Stephen Cannon of Wilkesboro, North Carolina, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 7 ounces – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $475.
Guffey wins co-angler title
Johnny Guffey of Bessemer City, North Carolina, won the Co-angler Division and $1,820 Saturday after catching five bass weighing 14 pounds, 7 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Johnny Guffey, Bessemer City, N.C., five bass, 14-7, $1,820
2nd: Ricky McCrary, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 14-1, $910
3rd: Tommy Swicegood, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $607
4th: Tyler Austin, Cornelius, N.C., five bass, 12-13, $425
5th: Dale Webber, Kernersville, N.C., four bass, 12-1, $464
6th: Grant McPeters, Marion, N.C., five bass, 11-13, $534
7th: Mark Murphy, Salisbury, N.C., four bass, 10-15, $288
7th: Jonathan Carter, Greenville, S.C., four bass, 10-15, $288
9th: John Wiese, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 10-13, $243
10th: Khris Williams, Mount Holly, N.C., five bass, 10-7, $212
Greg Deal of China Grove, North Carolina, caught the heaviest bass in the Co-angler Division, a fish weighing in at 7 pounds even. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $237.
The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 10-12 BFL Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, South Carolina, presented by Navionics. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518L with a 200-horsepower outboard.