Chandler Heads Shallow for Kerr Lake Title

Kevin Chandler of New London, North Carolina, weighed a 20-pound, 14-ounce, limit Saturday to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Piedmont Division opener on Kerr Lake presented by Navionics. For his win, Chandler earned $8,211.

Chandler said he split his day between fishing rocks in Grassy Creek, and docks and laydowns in the main-river channel. He said every fish he weighed in came on a ½-ounce green-pumpkin-colored Shooter Lures Jig.

“I flipped and made little underhand pitches with the jig because the fish were so shallow,” says Chandler, who logged his fifth career-win in BFL competition. “Every bite came in 1 to 4 feet of water. My medium-heavy Level rod was a big part of my success. It’s got the perfect tip for flipping. I could make soft presentations under everything I targeted.”

Chandler said he spent a lot of his day running, including making 30 to 40 stops in the afternoon.

“I didn’t catch very many fish in one spot,” says Chandler. “My biggest bass – a 6-pound, 4-ouncer – came out of the rocks early on, but I got more bites in the afternoon. The water warmed up a couple of degrees when the sun came up, which helped.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st: Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 20-14, $6,211 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

2^nd: Ray Griffin, Greensboro, N.C., five bass, 20-2, $4,001

3^rd: Mike Miller, Trinity, N.C., five bass, 20-0, $2,101

4^th: Todd Harris, Clemmons, N.C., five bass, 18-7, $1,403

5^th: Rodney Bell, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 17-12, $1,202

6^th: Chris Daves, Spring Grove, Va., five bass, 16-11, $1,102

7^th: George Lambeth, Thomasville, N.C., five bass, 16-9, $1,302

8^th: Keith Roberts, Hurt, Va., five bass, 16-1, $902

9^th: David Wright, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 16-0, $802

10^th: Scooter Lilley, Williamston, N.C., five bass, 15-13, $666

10^th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 15-13, $666

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.  

Griffin caught a bass weighing 6 pounds, 11 ounces – the largest of the event – which earned him the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $995.

Larry Freeman Jr. of La Crosse, Virginia, weighed in five bass totaling 14 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to win the Co-angler Division and the top prize of $3,006.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st: Larry Freeman Jr., La Crosse, Va., five bass, 14-11, $3,006

2^nd: Derek Sewell, Forest, Va., four bass, 14-8, $1,503

3^rd: Graham Burke, Clemmons, N.C., four bass, 13-0, $1,008

4^th: Randy Ruffin, Norfolk, Va., four bass, 12-9, $1,198

5^th: Bailey Hollingsworth, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 12-1, $601

6^th: Jake Rowe, Selma, N.C., five bass, 11-11, $551

7^th: Francis Andrews, Matoaca, Va., five bass, 11-8, $501

8^th: Mark Whitman, Elon, N.C., five bass, 11-4, $651

9^th: Scott Anderson, China Grove, N.C., five bass, 11-2, $401

10^th: Chris Tucker, Albemarle, N.C., three bass, 10-12, $351

Ruffin caught the biggest bass among Co-angler Division anglers, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces. The catch earned him the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $497.

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. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the James River in Williamsburg, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.