BRACEY, Va. – Chris Cox of Greenville, N.C., weighed in a two-day total of 10 bass for 31 pounds, 5 ounces Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division Super Tournament on Lake Gaston. For his victory, Cox earned $7,077.
“I basically had to fish history,” said Cox. “The lake was so tough; I just caught them on docks I’d caught fish on in the past.
“I already had an idea of what I was going to do,” continued Cox. “I fished all day Friday trying to find a secondary pattern, but I never did. I think the majority of the people who finished well were fishing jigs on docks, too.
“Time on the water was my key to winning,” said Cox. “Four years ago I finished second in the BFL Super Tournament on Lake Gaston in 2009. That finish motivated me to get better and really fine-tune my tackle and skills. It feels good to win. I’m excited.”
Cox said he caught his fish on a green pumpkin-colored hand-tied 3/8-ounce jig with a green pumpkin-colored Zoom Big Salty Chunk.
Rounding out the top 10 pros:
2nd: David Williams, Maiden, N.C., 10 bass, 31-1, $2,539 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
3rd: Shane Burns, Durham, N.C., 10 bass, 30-5, $1,694
4th: Joel Richardson, Kernersville, N.C., 10 bass, 30-2, $1,185
5th: Rodney Bell, Salisbury, N.C., 10 bass, 27-3, $1,015
6th: William Shelton III, La Crosse, Va., 10 bass, 23-12, $931
7th: Mark Robertson, Henderson, N.C., nine bass, 23-8, $846
8th: Maurice Freeze, Concord, N.C., 10 bass, 21-12, $762 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
9th: Derrick Loflin, Asheboro, N.C., eight bass, 21-10, $677
10th: Billy Bledsoe, Fayetteville, N.C., seven bass, 20-3, $592
Complete results can be found here.
Queen scores co-angler title
Kristopher Queen of Catawba, N.C., weighed in a two-day total of seven bass weighing 14 pounds, 5 ounces Sunday to win $2,539 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:
2nd: John Wilson, Six Mile, S.C., six bass, 14-1, $1,269
3rd: David Collins, Littleton, N.C., six bass, 13-1, $846
4th: Anthony Spivey, Aynor, S.C., five bass, 11-8, $592
5th: Dennis Surratt, Denton, N.C., four bass,10-9, $508
6th: Roy Alston, Henrico, N.C., three bass, 10-9, $465
7th: Trevor Holman, Durham, N.C., four bass, 9-6, $423
8th: Bill Burton, Vernon Hill, Va., three bass, 7-9, $381
9th: Brian Bailey, Durham, N.C., three bass, 6-15, $339
10th: Frank White, Marion, N.C., four bass, 6-13, $296
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. 17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Lavonia, 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.