Wright Wins FLW Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division Opener on Lake Norman

Foley wins co-angler title

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – David Wright of Lexington, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 15 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the first FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division tournament of 2016 on Lake Norman. For his victory, Wright took home $5,905.

Wright said he targeted bass along rocky banks in dirty water on the upper-end of the lake to earn his victory.

“I split my day between three shallow areas and used a small crankbait,” said Wright, who earned his 10^th career win FLW competition. “The bait was important. It had a tight wiggle which gave a subtle presentation that the bass seemed to like.”

Wright declined to share the specific crankbaits he used, but said he preferred chartreuse in muddy water and olive if he fished in a cove where the water was clearer.

“I fished them slow with a Lew’s reel,” said Wright. “I paid close attention to how fast I was cranking. When I told myself to slow down, I’d get a bite.

“The fish weren’t aggressive at all,” continued Wright. “There were a few that I know bumped up on the bait and didn’t bite.”

Wright said he caught around 15 keepers consistently over the course of the day.

“Normally I bring in all spotted bass, but since the water was muddy I ended up weighing in three largemouth and two spots,” said Wright. “I just kept my head down and stayed persistent.”

The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:

               1^st:          David Wright, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 15-11, $5,905

               2^nd:         Russell Hoyle, Newton, N.C., five bass, 14-13, $2,753

               3^rd:          Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., five bass, 14-8, $1,635

               4^th:          Michael Fox, Statesville, N.C., five bass, 14-6, $1,145

               5^th:          Dustin Clontz, Albemarle, N.C., five bass, five bass, 14-0, $981

               6^th:          Brian Travis, Conover, N.C., five bass, 13-14, $858

               6^th:          Jacob Moore, Stanley, N.C., five bass, 13-14, $858

               8^th:          Lee Williams, Durham, N.C., five bass, 13-13, $695

               8^th:          Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 13-13, $695

               10^th:        Hank Cherry, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $543

               10^th:        Jason Wilson, Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $543

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.  

Jonathan Foster of Maiden, North Carolina, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $740.

Paul Foley of Mooresville, North Carolina, weighed in four bass totaling 12 pounds, 11 ounces Saturday to earn $2,419 and win the co-angler division.

The top 10 co-anglers were:

               1^st:          Paul Foley, Mooresville, N.C., four bass, 12-11, $2,419

               2^nd:         Brian Transon, Sherrills Ford, N.C., four bass, 12-0, $1,225

               2^nd:         Andrew Shundich, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 12-0, $860

               2^nd:         James Windham, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 12-0, $860

               5^th:          Bradley Cooper, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 11-9, $484

               6^th:          Steve Postell, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 11-7, $423

               6^th:          Eddie Cook, Clemmons, N.C., five bass, 11-7, $423

               8^th:          Brian Souza, Cornelius, N.C., five bass, 10-2, $363

               9^th:          Joe Westmoreland, Greensboro, N.C., five bass, 10-0, $323

               10^th:        Weston Lineberry  , Troy, N.C., five bass, 9-13, $282

Transon caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 14 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $365.

The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 27-29 Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Seneca, 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 are competing to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Costa FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.

For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the BFL on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.

About FLW

FLW is the world’s largest tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money in 2016 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW conducts more than 235 bass-fishing tournaments annually across the United States and sanctions tournaments in Canada, China, Mexico and South Korea. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show, broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, while FLW Bass Fishing magazine delivers cutting-edge tips from top pros. For more information visit FLWFishing.com and follow FLW at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Periscope: @FLWFishing.

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