Local Lewis Prevails on Norman

Lane clinches co-angler top prize

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Wes Lewis of Sherrills Ford, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 8 ounces Saturday to win the first Walmart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament of 2015 on Lake Norman. For his victory, Lewis earned $4,915.

“It’s really awesome to win on my home lake,” said Lewis. “I’ve been fishing BFL’s for three years and this is my first win.”

In order to claim the day’s top prize, Lewis fished main-lake points across from the Marshall Steam Plant. He said he focused on stretches between docks where riprap and rocks entered the water.

“They were along the banks, as long as there was deep water nearby,” said Lewis. “My boat was in about 16 feet of water and I was casting up to 2 or 3 feet. They would usually hit my bait in the 4 to 6 foot depth range.”

As the fish moved downward towards warmer water, Lewis used a technique that mimicked a dying shad by pausing for a few seconds between twitches using an Albino-colored Zoom Super Fluke Soft Jerkbait. He said the fish spread out as the day went on which forced him to explore a couple different spots along the point, but he was still able to catch a five-bass limit by 11:30 a.m.

“I caught eight fish all day, but the first five were the ones I ended up bringing to weigh-in,” said Lewis.

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Wes Lewis, Sherrills Ford, N.C., five bass, 16-8, $4,915

2^nd:         Michael Stephens, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 15-12, $2,458

3^rd:          Rob Digh, Denver, N.C., five bass, 14-14, $1,640

4^th:          Brian Travis, Conover, N.C., five bass, 14-7, $1,147

5^th:          Larry Lehew, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 14-3, $983

6^th:          Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., five bass, 14-1, $901

7^th:          Jason Wilson, Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 14-0, $819

8^th:          Craig Chambers, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 13-15, $737

9^th:          Rodney Bell, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $655

10^th:        Artie Phillips, Monroe, N.C., five bass, 13-9, $573             

Lane wins co-angler title

Robbie Lane of Granite Falls, North Carolina, weighed in three bass totaling 10 pounds, 5 ounces Saturday to win $2,458 in the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Robbie Lane, Granite Falls, N.C., three bass, 10-5, $2,458

2^nd:         Matthew Benge, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 10-4, $1,229

3^rd:          Tristen Trull, Mount Holly, N.C., four bass, 10-0, $817

4^th:          Marty Williams, Thomasville, N.C., four bass, 9-12, $573

5^th:          Eddie Cook, Clemmons, N.C., five bass, 9-5, $492

6^th:          Dwight Martinez, Whiteville, N.C., four bass, 7-12, $451

7^th:          Thomas Jones, Kannapolis, N.C., five bass, 7-11, $410

8^th:          Thomas McDermott, Madison, N.C., two bass, 7-10, $348

8^th:          Andrew Shundich, Mooresville, N.C., four bass, 7-10, $348

10^th:        Hunter Harwell, Hickory, N.C., four bass, 7-9, $287             

McDermott caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $375.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Lake Wateree in Camden, South Carolina. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, 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 50 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. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.