Quick Bites: FLW Tour, Lake Norman, Day 4

Wal-Mart FLW Tour

Lake Norman, Charlotte, N.C.

Final round, Sunday

Competitive spirit … Tournament winner Sean Hoernke was blinking noticeably while awaiting his turn to weigh in his fish, but who can blame him? A grueling week of aggressive fishing, in which he kept on the move and drained his trolling motor every day, took its toll – but this is nothing he hasn’t seen before. With a passion for motorcycle racing since age 5, Hoernke has competed in major races including the 2007 Baja 1000, which ran 1,300 miles from just below San Diego to Cabo San Lucas. Lasting 34 hours, the tough course stretched racers to the limits of their endurance – something that Hoernke said helps him during long tournament weeks. “Four days really gets grueling, especially with what’s running through your mind all the time,” he said. “That’s where the training I go through for racing really helps with the mental game, where you just block out the pain. This was really a grind, and I do well in grinding tournaments.” Ultimately, Hoernke’s internal motivation is simple and straightforward. “I love to compete. It helps me learn more about myself and understand myself better.” Obviously, it works.

Clearing things up … Scott Canterbury, who claimed the No. 3 spot in only his third FLW Tour event, was very forthcoming about the fact that he felt uncomfortable fishing a lake as clear as Norman. Favoring the Coosa River system in his home state of Alabama, Canterbury is more in his element where the water looks like something from Starbucks. Despite this aversion to clarity, Canterbury made an impressive showing in his fist visit to Lake Norman. His strategy: Find conditions as close as possible to his preference. “Everywhere I went, I caught fish, so I just started looking for (scenarios) that fit the way I like to fish,” he said. “I’m a river fisherman, so I went way up the Catawba River (at Norman’s south end) and got into some pockets. The water was a lot more stained, and I found better quality fish.” Stating that he likes to fish his strengths, Canterbury said, “I like flipping, but I couldn’t get bit on a jig here at all.” Canterbury found adaptation was his biggest ally, as he made his first foray into the fine art of finesse fishing. “I never weighed in a fish on a drop-shot before this tournament, and I probably weighed in 10 that I caught on a drop-shot. I figured out that I could pitch that drop-shot in to a fish and catch it on the first cast instead of waiting 10 minutes for it to bite something else. I’d catch it and move on to something else.”

Viewer questions … Midway through the weigh-ins, FLW announcer Jason Harper read a trio of questions posed by fans watching the weigh-ins live on FLWOutdoors.com. The first one, addressed to local pro Chris Baumgardner, asked if he knew the weight of the heaviest spotted bass caught in Lake Norman. Baumgardner replied: “I know exactly how big it was because I was in the boat when it was caught.” On Dec. 26, 2003, Baumgardner’s friend Eric Weir hooked a monster spot that weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces. Baumgardner handled net duties and cemented his roll in local history. Castrol pro Mike Surman fielded a question regarding how anglers acquire sponsorship, while Glenn Browne explained tournament policy on dead-fish penalties.

And the winner is … Mere moments after winning the tournament, Hoernke made one lucky fan’s day by randomly drawing his name from all those entered in a free drawing for a new Ranger boat. After one false start – the first person drawn was not present (a stated requirement for winning) – Hoernke reached into the cage, retrieved another card and called out Milton Henderson, a Charlotte resident who was quick to make his presence known and claim his prize.

Quick numbers:

2: Number of Team BP members it took to operate the T-shirt launcher (One to load, one to fire the bundled shirts into a sea of fans).

6: Number of hours it took chainsaw sculptor Tim Kuenning to carve a majestic poplar-wood eagle that went to top pro Hoernke.

2: Length, in minutes, of a ride in the National Guard bass-boat simulator located in front of the main entrance to the Charlotte Convention Center.

1: Number of pros tossing a handful of water from a weigh-in bag skyward during the initial introduction. Second place pro Jim Moynagh – guilty!

4: Number of National Guardsmen demonstrating the elevated ropes course, the highest exhibit of the Family Fun Zone, which preceded Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins.

Sound bites:

“These guys are coming and gunning.” – Eventual winner Hoernke, surveying a field of nine other competitors at the start of the final weigh-ins.

“I’ve got my fingers crossed.” – Reginald Pickett, winner of the second FLW Fantasy Fishing check for $100,000 (at Alabama’s Lewis Smith Lake, April 6), on his high hopes for another check. Four of the top 10 pros at Lake Norman were on his picks list.

“They’re comfortable and in great shape.” – FLWOutdoors President/CEO Charlie Evans, referring to a limit of bass in the scale basket and explaining the great care that goes into an FLW in-water weigh-in.

“No!” – Snickers pro Greg Pugh, jokingly denying Evans’ request for some of the Berkley Spiderwire Ultracast fluorocarbon about which he raved.