Altman wins co-angler title on Beaver Lake

Co-angler winner Roy Altman Jr. pocketed $40,000 cash plus a $500 Wal-Mart gift card from Castrol and $500 worth of Castrol products thanks to the spotted bass he caught using a standup jig that he designed called the Spot Remover. Photo by Jeff Schroeder. Angler: Roy Altman Jr.

April 11, 2003 • Gary Mortenson • Archives

Georgia native nets $40,000 top prize

ROGERS, Ark. – Fishing in only the fourth FLW tournament of his career, Roy Altman Jr. shed his rookie image once and for all in dramatic fashion. Using a catch of 5 pounds, 4 ounces, Altman out-dueled the rest of the field, taking home his very first FLW title and nearly doubling his career earnings in the process.

“This is just totally unbelievable,” said Altman. “All year I’d been looking forward to Beaver Lake. This is the one tournament I really concentrated on. This is definitely the top of my list as far as accomplishments go in my fishing career. It’s just a great day. I can’t wait to call my family.”

Family was definitely on his mind throughout the week.

“I lost my dad on Dec. 8,” he said. “So this win is extra special for me. My dad and I used to fish together all the time. He was 87 years old, and I’m just lucky that we had a lot of time to spend together. He was just one of those dads you hate to see go. In fact, I’m wearing his watch right now. And now that I know this watch has magical qualities, I’m not sure I’m going to take it off.”

However, despite his early success, Altman would be the first to admit that winning an FLW title is not easy.

“It’s been a roller-coaster ride all week,” he said. “Early this morning I broke off a fish, and I knew I had to relax after that. But throughout the day, I began to calm down. I also had some great partners and that really helped. I wound up catching my last keeper 10 minutes before we had to head back to weigh-in. And without that fish, I wouldn’t have won this.”

Altman said that the key to his success was a homemade lure called the “Spot Remover” – a stand-up, lead-headed jig specially designed to ensnare spotted bass.

“I caught every one of my fish – all except one – on the Spot Remover,” he said. “We wound up catching most of our fish in 8 to 18 feet of water on pea-gravel banks and rock ledges. I just had a great week of fishing.”

Stevens finds himself in familiar place

Darrell Stevens of Roseland, Va., has a long history of top-10 finishes on Beaver Lake. In 1998, he finished in sixth place. In 1999 and 2000, he finished in second place. However, in each of those years, the tournament title eluded him at the Wal-Mart Open. And this time was no different. Using a catch of 4 pounds, 13 ounces, Stevens netted the third runner-up finish of his career on Beaver Lake and was resigned to the fact that he’d have to wait until next year to get the proverbial monkey off his back.

“I was hoping I’d pull it off this time, but I’m just going to have to come back and try again,” said Stevens, who also recorded his 10th top-10 finish in the process. “But honestly, I’m not too disappointed. Anytime you win $20,000 and finish in the top 10, you really can’t complain. I’ll be back next year.”

Stevens said that he targeted bluff banks and landed the majority of his catch in 5 to 30 feet of water.

“I used a rabbit-dog jig head, and I wound up catching fish all day with that lure, but they were mostly little fish” said Stevens. “I thought it would take about 8 pounds to win today, so I was just hoping to make the top five. Overall, I’m pretty happy about how things turned out.”

Third place belonged to Curtis Thompson of Flint, Texas. Thompson, who turned in a total catch of 2 pounds, 6 ounces, won $10,000 for his efforts.

Day-two leader Terry Chapman of Stanley, N.C., finished in fourth place and won a check for $9,000 with a catch of 2 pounds, 4 ounces. Day-one leader Kelly Greer of Green Forest, Ark., took home fifth place and a check for $8,000 with a catch of 1 pound, 4 ounces.

Best of the rest

Rounding out the top 10 co-angler finalists were Brian Kingsley (sixth) of Lawrence, Kan., with a catch of 1 pound, 2 ounces; Jim Blake (seventh) of Lincoln, Neb., with a catch of 14 ounces; Greg Gulledge (eighth) of Monticello, Ark., with a cach of 0 pounds; Quint Bourgeois (ninth) of Knoxville, Tenn., with a catch of 0 pounds; and Lonnie Fuller Jr. (10th) with a catch of 0 pounds.

FLW action in the Co-angler Division resumes May 14-17 at Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Ky.