Beattie, Tate tie for title on Kerr Lake - Major League Fishing

Beattie, Tate tie for title on Kerr Lake

Sims nets co-angler honors
Image for Beattie, Tate tie for title on Kerr Lake
Scott Beattie (right) of Lincolnton, N.C., and Scott Tate (left) of Marion, N.C., tied for the win in the May 31 North Carolina Division event on Kerr Lake with equal catches of 13 pounds, 9 ounces. Beattie earned nearly $5,000 with contingencies while Tate took home over $2,600. Anglers: Scott Beattie, Scott Tate.
May 31, 2014 • MLF • Archives

HENDERSON, N.C. – Scott Beattie of Lincolnton, N.C., and Scott Tate of Marion, N.C., each weighed a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to tie for the win at the third Walmart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament of 2014 on Kerr Lake. For their victories, each earned $2,659, with Beattie taking home an extra $2,300 in sponsor contingency bonuses.

It was the first career win for both.

“I ran pockets with a Senko,” said Beattie. “I was making long casts and letting it sit in the bush. They would grab it real quick and run off with the bait. I also caught a 4-pounder off of a bream bed on a jig that really helped me.

“I had a fish that passed away because it took the Senko so deep – it bumped my weight down a little bit,” Beattie continued. “It was rough, but I didn’t think I had enough weight to win anyway. I had been catching about 15 pounds per day in practice.”

Tate said he started the day flipping sweet gum trees to catch a small limit, but ended up culling them all with fish he caught throwing a spinnerbait on lay-downs.

“When the wind picked up it really made my spinnerbait pattern the right decision,” said Tate. “The fish were sitting in the bushy ends of the lay-downs in about 8 feet of water and I just slow-rolled the spinnerbait down the tree trunks.”

Beattie reported using a Shooter Lures jig and a 5-inch green-pumpkin-colored Yamamoto Senko with a 1/8-ounce sinker to catch his winning limit.

Tate said that he caught his fish using a chartreuse and white-colored 1/2-ounce Basscraft spinnerbait with gold and silver willowleaf blades.

Rounding out the top 10 pros:

3rd: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 13-8, $1,181

4th: Robert Barrett, Youngsville, N.C., five bass, 13-6, $827

5th: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 13-3, $709 + $300 Evinrude Bonus

6th: Wesley Cashwell, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 12-13, $650

7th: Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., five bass, 12-11, $591

8th: James Wall, Greensboro, N.C., five bass, 12-6, $532

9th: Michael Chlomoudis, Murfreesboro, N.C., five bass, 12-4, $443

9th: Wally Szuba, Cary, N.C., five bass, 12-4, $443

Complete results can be found here.

Sims wins co-angler title

Co-angler Curtis Sims of Woolwine, Va., won the May 31 North Carolina Division event on Kerr Lake with three bass weighing 10 pounds, 13 ounces. For his efforts, Sims took home over $1,700.Curtis Sims of Woolwine, Va., weighed in three bass totaling 10 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win $1,773 in the co-angler division.

Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers:

2nd: Lawrence Aucoin, Durham, N.C., five bass, 10-8, $738

2nd: Jerry Comperatore, Tarentum, Pa., four bass, 10-8, $738

4th: Alan Rae, Mount Holly, N.C., five bass, 10-1, $414

5th: Roger Toler, Gilbert, W.Va., five bass, 9-13, $355

6th: Thomas Jones, Concord, N.C., four bass, 9-11, $310

6th: Tristen Trull, Mt. Holly, N.C., five bass, 9-11, $310

8th: Jason Barraza, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 9-6, $266

9th: Ethan Icard, Charlotte, N.C., four bass, 9-3, $236

10th: Ralph Hollifield Sr., Winston-Salem, N.C., five bass, 8-12, $207

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. 9-11 Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee in Morristown, Tenn. 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. The 2014 BFL All-American is being held June 5-7 on Wilson Lake in Florence, Ala. 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. For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube.