Blaylock goes back to back
Berkley co-angler rallies for second consecutive FLW Series victory
DEL RIO, Texas – Competitive angling is such an intricate sport that it is virtually impossible to win back-to-back tournaments. Conditions change, fish roam, mechanical problems happen, etc. It’s even harder for co-anglers, who don’t have a say in where or how they get to fish. But above all those variables is talent, and 20-year-old Stetson Blaylock has plenty of it.
Blaylock’s latest triumph took place at the Wal-Mart FLW Series East-West Fish-Off on Lake Amistad. After practicing with Kellogg’s pro Dave Lefebre all week, the Benton, Ark., native set out to do what he does best: catch bass.
He opened the tournament with an average 12-pound stringer. On day two, the Berkley-sponsored co-angler improved considerably, catching a five-bass limit that weighed 17 pounds, 2 ounces. And when it mattered most, Blaylock was again at his best – catching another five-bass limit that weighed 19 pounds, 15 ounces that pushed his total weight to 49 pounds, 1 ounce.
It didn’t hurt that he was paired with pro winner Clayton Meyer on the pivotal third day. Meyer was on a pod of prespawn fish, but Blaylock still had to catch them.
To do so, he used a mixture of baits including a football-head jig with a Berkley Chunky trailer, a drop-
shot and a Texas-rigged stickbait. Not surprisingly, Blaylock said the preferred color for nearly all of his baits was green-pumpkin. On day two, the co-angler winner also caught a handful of keepers on a jerkbait.
“After you win your first one, you can relax because you’re not worried about getting the monkey off your back,” said Blaylock, who won the final 2007 FLW Series BP Eastern Division event on Pickwick Lake. “But every day was slow for me. I only had one fish at noon the first day. The second day I caught everything I weighed within the first half-hour, but I couldn’t upgrade after that. Today I just caught one here and one there.”
The humble young fisherman said the key to his success was his draws.
“I got three partners that fished deep and allowed me to fish slow.”
In December, Blaylock made a deal with National Guard co-angler Justin Lucas, whom he roomed with at Amistad. If either of the two won the tournament, they would split the prize money. Although Lucas was in second heading into the final day, it was Blaylock who had to cough up half his $5,000.
“I wasn’t really planning on winning; I was just hoping to be in the top 30. Then I knew when I went out with Clayton this morning that I had to make the most of my opportunity.”
At this pace, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Blaylock make some serious noise come August at the Forrest Wood Cup.
So when does Blaylock make the ascension to the pro ranks?
“Maybe two years; it’s in the works.”
Bjorklund just short again
In perhaps his last event from the back of the boat, Bob Bjorklund wanted to go out with a bang. Although Bjorklund easily qualified as one of the 30 co-anglers from the Fish-Off to advance to the 
Forrest Wood Cup, he personally hopes it never comes to that. The Centennial, Colo., native is fishing both the 2008 Wal-Mart FLW Tour and the FLW Series Eastern Division as a pro. Although it is a lofty goal for a rookie, Bjorklund hopes to qualify for the Cup as a professional through the tour.
“I hope this was my last event ever as a co-angler,” he said.
Still, this was one Bjorklund wanted. He has had several leads heading into the final day only to let it slip away in the end.
“He’s my nemesis,” Bjorklund said of Blaylock. “He gets me every time. I had my opportunities today. I had one to the boat, and I should have turned it before it got into a bush. It was a 7-pounder.”
Day three was the only day Bjorklund fished shallow. The two previous days he fished in 30 to 40 feet of water with jigs. Today, he used a Lucky Craft jerkbait in chartreuse/shad color. His limit Saturday weighed 12 pounds, 3 ounces and pushed his three-day total weight to 47 pounds, 1 ounce.
“All day I was catching 2-pounders, just upgrading a few ounces, but not really getting anywhere. It was really disappointing. It just wasn’t my day.”
Whether it be as a pro or a co-angler, fishing fans will see Bjorklund in Columbia, S.C., at the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup on Lake Murray.
Rest of the best
Terrence Rath of Lake Havasu City, Ariz., caught a limit weighing 22 pounds, 7 ounces Saturday and 
finished third with a three-day total of 46-3. His day-three limit was the heaviest of the day and the second-heaviest of the tournament among the co-anglers.
“I missed it by that much,” Rath said of victory and $5,000. “If I knew how to throw a swimbait, I probably could have won. I lost probably a dozen fish.”
Lucas was the only other co-angler to cash a check, but he earned his through a bet with Blaylock. Starting the final day only an ounce off the lead, all eyes were on the Folsom, Calif., native as he attempted to win his third consecutive FLW Series event.
“It’s not three in a row, but I’m not going to complain,” he said. “My goal coming down was to qualify for the Cup. I lost a couple fish the past few days, but that’s Amistad with all those trees.”
Lucas used primarily a green-pumpkin Senko on 15-pound Berkley 100% fluorocarbon line. He finished in fourth place with a total weight of 44 pounds, 11 ounces. He caught a limit weighing 9-14 Saturday.
Darrell Hagood of Wilton, Calif., rounded out the top five co-anglers with a total weight of 43 pounds, 7 ounces. He caught five bass weighing 14-15 Saturday.
Rounding out the top 10 co-angler finishers at Lake Amistad:
6th: Bill Gift of Alix, Ark., 42-14
7th: Mike Iloski of Escondido, Calif., 42-9
8th: Claudio Silva of Riverbank, Calif., 42-0
9th: Jacques Fleischmann of Shell Knob, Mo., 41-15
10th: Andy Scholz of Reno, Nev., 41-4
The top 30 co-anglers from the Fish-Off have earned their spot in the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup.
The next FLW Series event is slated for March 12-15 as the Western Division kicks off its 2008 season on the California Delta. The next Eastern Division event will be held March 26-29 on Wheeler Lake in Decatur, Ala.