Like their pro counterparts, the co-anglers on the 2002 Wal-Mart FLW Tour had their fair share of highlights. A pair of young up-and-comers came away with their first big-money wins, and a pair of old hands hoisted some familiar trophies. History was made, too, when one co-angler became the first competitor ever to win back-to-back FLW tournaments.
Tour stop #1: Lake Okeechobee – Virginia’s Greg Lineberry, fresh from fishing just one season in the EverStart Series Eastern Division in 2001, took home the $15,000 winner’s check in his first-ever FLW tournament. Bolstered by a 7-pound largemouth that he caught late in the day, Lineberry mustered five bass worth 13 pounds, 11 ounces and defeated second-place co-angler John Bruce by 4 pounds.
Lineberry, who fished with eventual pro winner J.T. Kenney in the co-angler finals, said, “I was really lucky that he missed a few. … It’s awesome. I just can’t believe it. When I drew boat #7, I thought about being lucky today. And everything just fell into place from there.”
Tour stop #2: Lake Wheeler – FLW veteran Doug Caldwell, who won the mayoral election in his hometown of Kane, Pa., last November, came away with a different kind of victory when he won the tough fishing tournament in Alabama in February. He snagged three bass weighing 4 pounds, 12 ounces in the finals to outduel second-place finisher John Dix. It was Caldwell’s first victory in seven seasons of FLW competition.
“After I caught my third fish, I knew that I wouldn’t come in last place,” Caldwell said. “And to tell you the truth, with the weight I had, you usually don’t win a tournament like this with 20 great fishermen involved. It really hasn’t sunk in yet. … I’m getting older, but the thrill is still there. This is what you fish for your whole life.”
Tour stop #3: Lake Ouachita – Rookie Texan Bobby Hendricks nailed a 10-pound, 8-ounce stringer in the finals to capture his first FLW trophy in three tries. Hendricks wasn’t sure how well he would finish heading back to weigh-in with only four bass in his livewell, but he thought he had a chance to do something special.
“Anytime you land four fish from the back of the boat, you’re usually in good shape,” he said. “I thought I had a good chance to be in the top five. But to win it all, it feels great.”
Notably, Alabama’s T.R. Fuller finished in second place with a weight of 7 pounds, 1 ounce. It was the fifth time in five years that he has claimed second on the FLW Tour.
“It’s a heap better than third place,” he said. “As long as it’s in the top five – especially against 20 other guys (as opposed to last year’s 10-person co-angler finals) – I feel really good.”
Tour stop #4: Wal-Mart Open, Beaver Lake – Hendricks made FLW history when he became the first angler – pro or co-angler – to win his second tournament in a row. He caught two bass weighing 4 pounds, 1 ounce in the last 10 minutes of final-round competition to take home his remarkable – and lucrative – second win. In just a six-week time-span of his rookie year on the FLW Tour, Hendricks netted a total of $55,000 in prize money for the back-to-back victories.
“I had no fish with 10 minutes left, but I had been patient all day,” Hendricks said. “I didn’t want to panic, but it’s hard to be patient for eight hours. Finally, we stopped at a spot I had had success with in the past, and I caught two fish after making about 10 casts. It just goes to show you that patience really pays off.
“Honestly, I didn’t think it would be enough to win. It’s really unbelievable.”
Tour stop #5: Old Hickory Lake – Arkansas’ Hoot Gibson firmly established his legacy as one of the most dominant co-anglers on tour when he took home his second FLW winner’s trophy in two years in Tennessee. The 64-year-old Gibson, a perennial finalist on both the FLW and EverStart circuits, won at Old Hickory with a four-bass weight of 9 pounds, 4 ounces. He topped Jason Abrams, who caught five bass worth 8-5. Gibson’s first FLW victory came at Beaver Lake in 2001.
“I didn’t have a fish in the boat by 1 p.m.,” Gibson said. “But then my partner, Koby Kreiger, decided to make a change. And when we got to our new spot, things started to pick up. In the end, I had four bites and caught all four fish.”
At the time, Gibson also took what seemed an insurmountable lead in the Co-angler-of-the-Year race. It was an accomplishment not lost on the modest competitor who had not finished worse than 33rd place all season long.
“I’ll be 65 on July 23 and, with 35 years of fishing experience, I understand how to fish out of the back of the boat,” he said. “When I make the top 20, I know what to do. It’s crunch time for me. Some people worry about the other anglers, but I always look at it as me competing against the fish. And I think that helps me.
“One of my goals this year was to win the FLW Co-angler-of-the-Year title because, in order to do that, you have to be versatile and very consistent. And, in my opinion, that’s what makes a great fisherman.”
Tour stop #6: Forrest Wood Open, Lake Champlain – Twenty-four-year-old FLW rookie Rick Lisek capitalized on the prolific bass bite at Lake Champlain and captured his first FLW co-angler victory and $40,000 with a limit weight of 13 pounds, 12 ounces. The bass bite at Champlain was so good that well over half the co-angler field caught five-fish limits in the opening round and eight out of 20 finalists notched their limits – solid numbers for any co-angler competition.
“Man, this lake is awesome. I’m ready to move here,” the Missouri co-angler said. “This is one of the best weeks of fishing that I’ve ever had. I caught three limits today. My partners were great. And it’s the most money I’ve ever won. It feels pretty good.”
Jeff Baffa placed second and T.R. Fuller once again scored big with a third-place finish at Champlain.
One co-angler who didn’t have the chance to enjoy the amazing Champlain fishery was Hoot Gibson, the definitive points leader heading into the week. Gibson suffered a heart attack prior to the event and was forced to miss the Forrest Wood Open. That allowed North Carolina’s Fred Hill to overtake Gibson and win the 2002 Co-angler-of-the-Year award.
Thankfully, Gibson recovered and is looking forward to making another run at the points title in 2003.
– Jeff Schroeder