Quick Bites: FLW Tour, Lake Norman, Day 2

Walmart FLW Tour

National Guard Open

Lake Norman, Charlotte, N.C.,

Opening round, Friday

Hoernke makes his appearance … Sometimes certain pros just seem to be in synch with certain lakes. Take for instance BP pro J.T. Kenney at Lake Okeechobee, or Kellogg’s pro Clark Wendlandt at Beaver Lake, or Iams pro Koby Kreiger at Lake Eufaula. Well, Lake Norman is becoming Sean Hoernke’s kind of place. Hoernke won the National Guard Open last year, and now a repeat win is in his sights again. After a par performance on day one with 9 pounds, 13 ounces, Hoernke rebounded today with the tournament’s best limit so far – 15 pounds, 10 ounces – to move into second place. “Whenever I come here, everything just flows,” Hoernke said. “I can’t really explain it – it just fits the way I like to fish. Above all, what I’ve learned here this time of year is that you have to fish new water constantly. Yesterday I started to get caught up in that GPS waypoint trap, and after an hour I hit the delete button on all my waypoints and just went fishing. I had two big bites yesterday, but lost them both. Today, I converted my two big bites and that’s the difference.” Another thing Hoernke has figured out on Norman is how to get the bigger cruising/sunning fish to bite. “A lot of guys see those bigger females floating around, but can’t make them eat. I’ve learned a few tricks here to get those bigger cruising females to bite.”

Not so fast, Hoernke … True, Hoernke has won here once and made a strong charge into the top 10 today, but he’s got two other pros who want to claim Norman as their turf: M&M’s pro Greg Pugh and BP pro Jim Moynagh. Both of these pros have now scored three consecutive top-10s at Norman. Pugh has finished fourth and eighth the last two years, while Moynagh has a second and a sixth to his credit.

Duck, duck, SPLOOSH … Pro Chris Baumgardner experienced something on day one of the Jaws.” border=”1″ align=”right” />National Guard Open that is a once-in-a-lifetime sight. Baumgardner explains: “I had been fishing for a 4 1/2-pounder for about an hour and had her nipping at my bait. Just when I was about to catch her, here comes a mother duck with her babies, swimming right over the bed. All of a sudden there was a huge sploosh and it looked like there was one less duckling. I couldn’t believe it. I told my partner that one of the baby ducks had just been eaten. After the ducks scurried away and things settled down, the fish came back and I could tell it had something bad wrong with it because the bass kept opening its mouth and blowing like it was trying to disgorge something from its throat. I never caught the fish, and I went back to try her again today with a big floating frog, but she was gone.”

From nine days to 94 years … Yesterday, Quick Bites featured a piece on Greg Bohannan’s brand-new 9-day-old son. As further proof that bass fishing weigh-ins can be fun for all ages, Brian Travis’ 94-year-old grandmother, Ermona Travis, was in the crowd proudly supporting her grandson the last two days. “I grew up in an outdoors family,” Travis said. “Instead of going to summer camp or day school, my grandmother pretty much raised us during the summers. She had two creeks on her property, and our neighbors had a farm pond; as kids we wore our bicycles out to go stomping around in those creeks and go fishing. This is the first big tournament she’s been to, and she is really into it.” Travis, who is running the `Living the Dream’ boat for winning the TBF Championship, finished 35th at the National Guard Open.

AOY shake up … BP pro David Walker came into Lake Norman leading the Land O’Lakes Angler of the Year race with 391 points. Walker, however, took a tumble in the standings after a 125th-place finish today. Now it looks like the AOY-race front runners will be Scott Canterbury, who was in second place in the standings with 391 points and finished 36th today, and National Guard pro Brent Ehrler, who was in third place with 385 points and finished 15th today. Unofficially the edge goes to Ehrler, who finished runner-up in the FLW Tour AOY race last season by a single point. Official point standing will be updated after the National Guard Open concludes Sunday.

Quick numbers

15-10: Weight, in pounds and ounces, of the biggest limit weighed in so far at the National Guard Open, caught by Sean Hoernke on day two.

5-4: Weight, in pounds and ounces, of the Folgers Big Bass caught in the Pro Division by Andy Montgomery.

3: Number of consecutive National Guard Open top-10s made by Jim Moynagh and Greg Pugh at Lake Norman.

24: Number of years PTSI pro Ron Shuffield has been a professional angler.

6: Number of limits over 13 pounds weighed in on day one of the National Guard Open.

4: Number of limits over 13 pounds weighed in on day two of the National Guard Open.

114: Number of limits weighed in on day one of the National Guard Open.

119: Number of limits weighed in on day two of the National Guard Open.

Sound bites

“I think that bass had a little baby duckling indigestion.” – Baumgardner, describing the incredible sight of watching a bass eat a baby duck.

“I think I’m going to have to give this bag up after this tournament.” – Walker, on weighing in with the Land O’Lakes leader bag the last two days and taking a slide in the AOY points.

“It’s a good thing I have a good wife, because I don’t even deserve a hot meal after a performance like this.” Land O’Lakes pro Aaron McManaway, on finishing 148th place at Lake Norman.

“I’m used to seeing him kick my tail.” – Proud father Ron Shuffield, on seeing his son Spencer Shuffield take the lead in the Co-angler Division.

Day three of the National Guard Open on Lake Norman will begin Saturday at 7 a.m. from Blythe Landing located at 15901 Highway 73, Huntersville, N.C.