Hammack scores big on Lake Gaston - Major League Fishing

Hammack scores big on Lake Gaston

Freeman wins co-angler title
Image for Hammack scores big on Lake Gaston
Shawn Hammack of Gasburg, Va., grabbed top spot on the boater side of the April 21 Piedmont Division event on Lake Gaston with a weight of 18 pounds, 9 ounces. Hammack walked away with nearly $4,000 in prize money.
April 21, 2012 • MLF • Archives

BRACEY, Va. – Shawn Hammack of Gasburg, Va., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 18 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division event on Lake Gaston. For his victory, Hammack earned $3,883.

“I had a really good practice day coming into this tournament on Friday,” said Hammack. “I had found around 50 fish that were just sitting on the beds in the lake pockets. I ended up being the last boat out though and by the time I got to my first pocket, there were already three boats there that I had to fish behind. It was a grind, but I was able to catch a limit and I had around 15 pounds. I was sight fishing all day, and all of my fish came off of the beds. I could see a nice 6-pounder just sitting on her bed, but I could not get her to bite. So I left and fished some of my other pockets.

“Later in the day I returned to try to boat the 6-pounder, but there was another boat already on it,” continued Hammack. “I pulled up and the fisherman told me he had been working it for an hour with no luck, and he was leaving. I threw my jig out there and worked it for a bit, and finally was able to get her to bite. She ended up being the key to my win.

“I caught most of my fish on a small 3/16-ounce Pumpkin Pepper Green-colored Terminator Tiny T jig,” Hammack went on to say. “The big one came on a 1/2-ounce pumpkin and orange-colored jig though. I was fishing mid-lake, near the Eaton’s Ferry Bridge and caught 10 fish throughout the day.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2nd: Flash Butts, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 18-0, $1,442

3rd: Ryan Harrell, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 17-13, $960

4th: Kendall Dail, Chinquapin, N.C., five bass, 17-10, $673

5th: Jeff Salmon, Chester, Va., five bass, 17-4, $577

6th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 16-9, $529

7th: William Kemp, Scotland Neck, N.C., five bass, 15-15, $481

8th: Danny Haire, Yadkinville, N.C., five bass, 15-2, $433

9th: Allen Haigh, Prospect Hill, N.C., five bass, 14-14, $384

10th: Kyle Joyce, Reidsville, N.C., five bass, 13-8, $336

Complete results can be found here.

Freeman takes co-angler top spot

Co-angler Larry Freeman of Baskerville, Va., took first in the April 21 Piedmont Division event on Lake Gaston with a total catch of 13 pounds, 10 ounces. Freeman brought home almost $1,500 in prize money. Larry Freeman of Baskerville, Va., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 10 ounces Saturday to win $1,442 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: Steven Selfridge, McLeansville, N.C., five bass, 10-12, $721

3rd: Bill Naron, Huntingtown, Md., four bass, 8-7, $483

4th: Rob Wells, Kill Devil Hills, N.C., three bass, 8-3, $336

5th: Bill Turonis, Kill Devil Hills, N.C., three bass, 7-3, $288

6th: Michael Baden, Stuart, Va., three bass, 6-14, $264

7th: Mark Hardy, Mechanicsville, Md., three bass, 6-8, $240

8th: Richard Buchanan, Durham, N.C., two bass, 6-6, $216

9th: David Bullock, Durham, N.C., three bass, 5-9, $192

10th: Thomas Jones, Kannapolis, N.C., two bass, 5-5, $168

Complete co-angler results can be found here.

The next BFL Piedmont Division tournament is scheduled for May 12 on High Rock Lake in Salisbury, N.C. After the fifth Piedmont Division tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 4-6 Regional Championship on Cherokee Lake in Morristown, Tenn. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 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 40 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 presented by Chevy. The 2012 BFL All-American is being held May 17 – 19 on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Md. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

About FLW

FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing unparalleled fishing resources and entertainment to our sponsors, fans and host communities. FLW is offering anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2012 over the course of 191 tournaments across five tournament circuits, each providing an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water,” through a variety of platforms including tournaments, outdoor expos and the world’s richest fantasy sports game – FLW Fantasy Fishing. For more information about FLW and FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FLWOutdoors.com or FantasyFishing.com and look for FLW on Twitter and Facebook.