Freeze surprised on Badin Lake - Major League Fishing

Freeze surprised on Badin Lake

Timms lifts co-angler title
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Maurice Freeze of Concord, N.C., won the March 22 Piedmont Division event on Badin Lake with a limit weighing 19 pounds, 8 ounces. For his efforts, Freeze was awarded over $6,000 in tournament winnings.
March 22, 2014 • MLF • Archives

ALBEMARLE, N.C. – Maurice Freeze of Concord, N.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win the first Walmart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division tournament of 2014 on Badin Lake. For his victory, Freeze earned $6,056.

“I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to win another one,” said Freeze, whose last BFL victory came back in 2010. “My son plays baseball and I’ve been spending more time with him than fishing to be honest.”

Freeze said that he targeted shallow pockets with docks and grass with a Shooter Lures jig to earn the victory.

“I don’t know that they were actually spawning, but where they were sitting it’s very likely,” Freeze explained. “The water is still pretty cold, but where they were sitting is a prime location during the spawn.

“I didn’t really catch a bunch per say. I only culled about five times. That lake is full of big fish, though, and I really thought it would take over 22 pounds to win. I was kind of surprised to win.”

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

2nd: David Farrington, Greensboro, N.C., five bass, 19-4, $1,878

3rd: Todd Gibson, Archdale, N.C., five bass, 19-2, $1,253

4th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 16-4, $876

5th: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 15-3, $751

6th: Dean Talbert, Albemarle, N.C., five bass, 14-9, $689

7th: Mark Inman, Greensboro, N.C., three bass, 14-8, $626

8th: Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 14-7, $563

9th: Chris Marshall, Forest City, N.C., three bass, 14-5, $501

10th: Dennis Reedy, Siler City, N.C., four bass, 13-13, $438

Complete results can be found here.

Timms wins co-angler division

Co-angler Robert Timms, of Middletown, Conn., weighed a four-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win $1,878 in the Piedmont Division event on Badin Lake.Robert Timms of Middletown, Conn., weighed in four bass totaling 12 pounds, 2 ounces Saturday to win $1,878 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: David Bullock, Durham, N.C., five bass, 11-9, $939

3rd: James Morrow, Murphy, N.C., three bass, 9-7, $627

4th: Jim Venable, Welcome, N.C., two bass, 9-0, $438

5th: David Reid, Browns Summit, N.C., two bass, 7-10, $376

6th: Robert Barrett, Youngsville, N.C., four bass, 7-9, $344

7th: Anthony Spivey, Aynor, S.C., two bass, 7-0, $313

8th: Michael Thomas, Pittsboro, N.C., three bass, 6-10, $282

9th: Otto Hecht, Jacksonville, N.C., three bass, 6-8, $250

10th: Jeffery Farmer, Jacksonville, N.C., one bass, 6-7, $219

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. 2-4 Regional Championship on the James River in Richmond, Va. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C 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 Rayovac FLW 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 2014 over the course of 229 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, Instagram and YouTube.