Shafer Takes Co-Angler Title
Title Shot jig and fishing up north played key roles
Scott Shafer picked up the win on the co-angler side in the Rayovac FLW Series event presented by Plano on Lake Champlain with 17 pounds, 12 ounces on the final day for an even 50-pound total. He took home a new Ranger Z117 with a 90-hp outboard as a reward.
“Day one I had four largemouths and one smallmouth,” says Shafer, who drew boaters fishing the north end all three days. “I had all largemouths yesterday, and today I had four smallmouths and one largemouth.
“It was pretty much just flipping,” Shafer reveals about his winning pattern. “I used a 1/2- and 3/4-ounce Fin-tech Title Shot jig with a green pumpkin-colored Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver. It was my go-to for pretty much everything. I think I also caught a few fish on a [Yamamoto] Senko. All worked out for me. The guys I fished with all were around stuff I could fish with that bait. I don’t even know how many fish I caught. I probably caught 35 fish this week.
“I’ve been to these a fair amount,” finishes Shafer. “Just crawling up in the standings, it’s nice to finally win.”
Top 10 co-anglers
1. Scott Shafer – Glennville, N.Y. – 50-00 (15) – Ranger Z117 w/ 90-hp outboard
2. Alec Morrison – Peru, N.Y. – 48-13 (15) – $4,296
3. Joe Poms – Paramus, N.J. – 46-14 (15) – $3,591
4. Bryan New – Belmont, N.C. – 46-08 (15) – $3,007
5. Jeff Zeisner – Arva, Ontario – 41-13 (15) – $2,578
6. John Watts – Flushing, Mich. – 39-11 (15) – $2,148
7. Keith Honeycutt – Temple, Texas – 38-09 (14) – $1,719
8. David Martinez – Brooklyn Heights, Ohio – 34-09 (13) – $1,504
9. Shawn O’Malley – Oswego, Ill. – 32-11 (10) – $1,289
10. Michael Sweeney – Plymouth, Mass. – 31-01 (10) – $1,074