Guins Grinds it Out on Kerr

Wright earns Piedmont Division co-angler title

Jonathon Guins of Wendell, North Carolina, weighed a two-day cumulative of eight bass totaling 24 pounds, 13 ounces, to win the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Piedmont Division tournament on Kerr Lake presented by Navionics. For his win, Guins earned $8,011.

 

Guins fished a 2- to 3-mile stretch midlake to catch his fish. He says he focused on points and smaller pockets, and was able to put nine keepers in his boat throughout the weekend.

 

“I caught the majority of my fish on a natural-colored topwater bait in 3 to 6 feet of water,” says Guins, who earned his second BFL victory on Kerr Lake. “I only caught three keepers Saturday and six keepers on Sunday. I needed to have wind on the points, and it was a little windier on Sunday.”

 

Guins also used a Carolina-rigged Zoom Trick Worm and that the bite was best during the mid- to late-morning hours.

 

“The area I was fishing had quality fish, but not the quantity,” says Guins. “It was a tough tournament. I had to keep my head down and grind it out.”

 

The top 10 boaters:

              

1^st:          Jonathon Guins, Wendell, N.C., eight bass, 24-13, $6,011 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus

              

2^nd:         Mark Inman, Greensboro, N.C., 10 bass, 22-14, $3,206

              

3^rd:          Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 22-11, $2,002

              

4^th:          Jason Houchins, Clarksville, Va., eight bass, 21-1, $1,503

              

5^th:          Kay Choosakul, Lillington, N.C., nine bass, 20-2, $1,202

              

6^th:          Billy Shelton III, La Crosse, Va., seven bass, 19-13, $1,102

              

7^th:          James Wall, Greensboro, N.C., eight bass, 19-4, $1,002

              

8^th:          Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., nine bass, 18-14, $902

              

9^th:          Daniel Wicker, Hillsborough, N.C., nine bass, 18-9, $1,627

              

10^th:        Scooter Lilley, Williamston, N.C., eight bass, 18-5, $701

 

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.  

 

Wicker caught a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the Big Bass award of $825.

 

 

Wright wins co-angler title

 

Craig Wright of Rustburg, Virginia, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,199.

 

The top 10 co-anglers:

              

1^st:          Craig Wright, Rustburg, Va., eight bass, 18-10, $3,199

              

2^nd:         James Hastings, Holly Springs, N.C., six bass, 16-9, $1,499

              

3^rd:          Joe Westmoreland, Greensboro, N.C., eight bass, 16-7, $1,046

              

4^th:          Jason Hinger, Timberlake, N.C., seven bass, 14-13, $700

              

5^th:          Mark Robertson, Henderson, N.C., six bass, 14-6, $600

              

6^th:          Stacy Metz, Staley, N.C., seven bass, 14-6, $550

              

7^th:          Lenny Baird, Stafford, Va., five bass, 13-3, $500

              

8^th:          Robert Tysinger, Coats, N.C., five bass, 12-7, $450

              

9^th:          Thomas Hirsch, Powhatan, Va., six bass, 12-7, $400

              

10^th:        Randy Ruffin, Norfolk, Va., six bass, 11-15, $350

 

Mark Whitman of Elon, North Carolina, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $405.

 

The T-H Marine FLW BFL Piedmont Division tournament on Kerr Lake was hosted by the Vance County Department of Tourism.

 

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.