Blankenship goes wire-to-wire on High Rock Lake - Major League Fishing

Blankenship goes wire-to-wire on High Rock Lake

Aucoin claims co-angler crown
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James Blankenship of Lexington, N.C., won the North Carolina Super Tournament on High Rock Lake held Sept. 7-8 with a two-day total weight of 33 pounds, 8 ounces. For his efforts, Blankenship earned over $5,000 in prize money. Angler: James Blankenship.
September 8, 2013 • MLF • Archives

SALISBURY, N.C. – James Blankenship of Lexington, N.C., weighed a 10-bass limit over two days totaling 33 pounds, 8 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division Super Tournament on High Rock Lake. For his victory, Blankenship earned $5,196.

Blankenship locked up his second BFL win of the year by catching the biggest bag of the tournament on the first day and maintaining his lead on the second.

On the first day, Blankenship fished shallow bushes and lay-downs up the river for his big bag. “I laid off the fish early on Saturday thinking I could come back and catch them again Sunday,” said Blankenship. “But the water level fell 6 or 8 inches and those fish relocated.

“Sunday I caught all my fish on shallow docks in the main lake,” said Blankenship. “I knew I was going to give the tournament away if I didn’t adjust.”

Blankenship said he caught his fish on a Zoom Super Hog and a Zoom Brush Hog.

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2nd: James Wall, Greensboro, N.C., 10 bass, 31-12, $2,598

3rd: Wayne Hauser, Mooresville, N.C., 10 bass, 31-10, $1,733

4th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 30-7, $1,213

5th: Tommy Jones, Salisbury, N.C., 10 bass, 29-8, $1,039

6th: Jeremy Talbert, Albemarle, N.C., 10 bass, 29-4, $953

7th: Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., 10 bass, 28-7, $866

8th: Dwayne Hughes, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 27-11, $780

9th: Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 27-8, $693

10th: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 26-2, $606 + $300 Evinrude Bonus

Complete results can be found here.

Aucoin wins co-angler title

Co-angler Lawrence Aucoin of Durham, N.C., won the North Carolina Division Super Tournament on High Rock Lake held Sept. 7-8 with a two-day total weight of 24 pounds, 5 ounces. He was awarded nearly $2,600 for his efforts.Lawrence Aucoin of Durham, N.C., weighed in eight bass totaling 24 pounds, 5 ounces Sunday to win $2,599 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: Justin Bach, Kannapolis, N.C., eight bass, 22-14, $1,299

3rd: Tim Cales, Sandstone, W. Va., eight bass, 19-14, $867

4th: Orlando Giles, Lexington, N.C., eight bass, 19-9, $606

5th: Chip Crews, Thomasville, N.C., eight bass, 18-1, $520

6th: Joseph Westmoreland, Greensboro, N.C., six bass, 16-3, $476

7th: Kenneth Rippey, Galax, Va., six bass, 14-14, $433

8th: Brian Nappier, Cornelius, N.C., six bass, 13-2, $390

9th: Greg Deal, China Grove, N.C., five bass, 12-4, $346

10th: Johnathan Wall, Lowgap, N.C., five bass, 11-13, $303

Complete co-angler results can be found here.

The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Ga. 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 anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2013 over the course of 220 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.