MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Wes Lewis of Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win the first Walmart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Norman. For his victory, Lewis earned $4,915.
“It’s really awesome to win on my home lake,” said Lewis. “I’ve been fishing BFL’s for three years and this is my first win.”
In order to claim the day’s top prize, Lewis fished main-lake points across from the Marshall Steam Plant. He said he focused on stretches between docks where riprap and rocks entered the water.
“They were along the banks, as long as there was deep water nearby,” said Lewis. “My boat was in about 16 feet of water and I was casting up to 2 or 3 feet. They would usually hit my bait in the 4 to 6 foot depth range.”
As the fish moved downward towards warmer water, Lewis used a technique that mimicked a dying shad by pausing for a few seconds between twitches using an Albino-colored Zoom Super Fluke Soft Jerkbait. He said the fish spread out as the day went on which forced him to explore a couple different spots along the point, but he was still able to catch a five-bass limit by 11:30 a.m.
“I caught eight fish all day, but the first five were the ones I ended up bringing to weigh-in,” said Lewis.
The top 10 boaters:
1st: Wes Lewis, Sherrills Ford, N.C., five bass, 16-8, $4,915
2nd: Michael Stephens, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 15-12, $2,458
3rd: Rob Digh, Denver, N.C., five bass, 14-14, $1,640
4th: Brian Travis, Conover, N.C., five bass, 14-7, $1,147
5th: Larry Lehew, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 14-3, $983
6th: Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., five bass, 14-1, $901
7th: Jason Wilson, Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 14-0, $819
8th: Craig Chambers, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 13-15, $737
9th: Rodney Bell, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $655
10th: Artie Phillips, Monroe, N.C., five bass, 13-9, $573
Lane wins co-angler title
Robbie Lane of Granite Falls, North Carolina, weighed in three bass totaling 10 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win $2,458 in the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers:
1st: Robbie Lane, Granite Falls, N.C., three bass, 10-5, $2,458
2nd: Matthew Benge, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 10-4, $1,229
3rd: Tristen Trull, Mount Holly, N.C., four bass, 10-0, $817
4th: Marty Williams, Thomasville, N.C., four bass, 9-12, $573
5th: Eddie Cook, Clemmons, N.C., five bass, 9-5, $492
6th: Dwight Martinez, Whiteville, N.C., four bass, 7-12, $451
7th: Thomas Jones, Kannapolis, N.C., five bass, 7-11, $410
8th: Thomas McDermott, Madison, N.C., two bass, 7-10, $348
8th: Andrew Shundich, Mooresville, N.C., four bass, 7-10, $348
10th: Hunter Harwell, Hickory, N.C., four bass, 7-9, $287
McDermott caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $375.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Lake Wateree in Camden, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.