SALISBURY, N.C. – Ray Griffin of Henderson, N.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division event on High Rock Lake. For his victory, Griffin earned $3,164 plus a $2,000 Ranger Cup bonus.
“I found a rock pile during practice that really turned out to be a sweet spot for me on Saturday,” said Griffin. “I had a 16-pound limit within 15 to 20 minutes of the (takeoff) using a jig and shaky heads. I had a 6-inch trick worm on the shaky head. It was sweet.
“After I caught my limit I moved up into the backs of creeks and started flipping wood, but that only produced smaller fish, so I started fishing docks,” Griffin continued. “Mostly I was catching small keepers, but then I caught a 4-pounder and was able to cull. That fish is the one that got me over the hump. About 1:30 I went back to the rock pile – my sweet spot – and caught another 4-pounder that really put me over the top.”
Rounding out the top 10 boaters:
2nd: Jeff Salmon, Chester, Va., five bass, 18-1, $1,582
3rd: Justin Goodyear, Thomasville, N.C., five bass, 16-15, $1,054
4th: Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., five bass, 16-6, $738
5th: Orlando Giles, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 14-10, $633
6th: Skeet Bennett, Wake Forest, N.C., five bass, 14-9, $580
7th: David Farrington, Greensboro, N.C., five bass, 14-8, $527
8th: Jeff Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 13-13, $475
9th: Steve Sink, Winston-Salem, N.C., five bass, 13-4, $422
10th: Kenny Seagle, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 12-10, $369
Complete results can be found here.
Musgrave brings home co-angler title
Joey Musgrave of Lexington, N.C., weighed four bass totaling 10 pounds, 4 ounces Saturday to win $1,582 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: Thomas Jones, Kannapolis, N.C., four bass, 9-4, $791
3rd: Robert Adams, Greensboro, N.C., four bass, 8-6, $526
4th: Marty Williams, Thomasville, N.C., two bass, 8-2, $369
5th: Doug File, Salisbury, N.C., three bass, 8-1, $316
6th: Robert Galvin, Zebulon, N.C., three bass, 7-15, $290
7th: Anthony Mencome, Benson, N.C., three bass, 7-12, $264
8th: George (Jack) Boyce, Fuquay Varina, N.C., two bass, 6-6, $237
9th: Richard Lemons, Eden, N.C., one bass, 6-3, $211
10th: Bud Amend, Pleasant Garden, N.C., three bass, 6-0, $185
Complete co-angler results can be found here.
The next BFL Piedmont Division tournament is scheduled for Sept. 8-9 on Kerr Lake in Henderson, 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. 18-20 Regional Championship on Lake Seminole 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. 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.