Last Cast Locks Up W for Gillespie

Riveras top co-angler on James River

Randy Gillespie of Sanford, North Carolina, weighed a five bass limit totaling 14 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the fourth FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Piedmont Division tournament of 2016 on the James River presented by Navionics. For his win, Gillespie earned $4,247.

“I primarily flipped wood, rocks and laydowns in Falling Creek,” says Gillespie, who earned his first win in BFL competition. “We caught the outgoing tide and fished in 2- to 3-foot depths. I had a limit in the boat by 8 a.m.”

Gillespie ran south and caught another keeper around 9:30 a.m. before returning to the creek to work the incoming tide.

“I caught six of my eight keepers flipping a drop-shot rig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Finesse Worm,” says Gillespie. “It’s definitely an unusual tactic. In practice, the fish wanted something small and compact. I left only an 8-inch leader between the sinker and the bait.”

With five minutes left in the event, Gillespie says he boated a 4-pounder on a Texas-rigged, green-pumpkin Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver out of some grass near the takeoff ramp.

“It was my final cast, and that fish ended up winning the event for me,” says Gillespie. “I guess it was meant to be.”

The top 10 boaters:

1^st:          Randy Gillespie, Sanford, N.C., five bass, 14-11, $4,247

2^nd:         Mike Cherry, Hampton, Va., five bass, 14-7, $1,623

3^rd:          Todd Harris, Clemmons, N.C., five bass, 13-14, $1,082

4^th:          Josh Wagy, Dewitt, Va., five bass, 13-11, $958

5^th:          Rick Hawkins, Roanoke, Va., five bass, 12-5, $649

6^th:          Kyle Fisher, Boone, N.C., four bass, 12-0, $568

6^th:          Kelly Pratt, Williamsburg, Va., five bass, 12-0, $568

8^th:          Joel Eberts, Powhatan, Va., five bass, 11-12, $487

9^th:          Kennon Ball, Colonial Heights, Va., five bass, 11-11, $533

10^th:        Harrison Baker, Providence Forge, Va., five bass, 11-4, $379

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com. 

Michael Martinez of Lanexa, Virginia, caught a bass weighing 5 pounds, 15 ounces – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $390.

Riveras wins co-angler title

Victor Riveras of Newport News, Virginia, weighed in five bass totaling 18 pounds, 5 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,018.

The top 10 co-anglers:

1^st:          Victor Riveras, Newport News, Va., five bass, 18-5, $2,018

2^nd:         Lavar James, Woodbridge, Va., five bass, 13-12, $812

3^rd:          Brent Enos, Bracey, Va., five bass, 11-4, $541

4^th:          Conner Davis, Bear Creek, N.C., five bass, 10-11, $429

5^th:          Scott Spencer, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 8-12, $325

6^th:          Roy Alston, Henrico, N.C., five bass, 8-9, $298

7^th:          Greg Fox, Fayetteville, N.C., four bass, 7-12, $271

8^th:          Cornell Badra, Clarksburg, Md., four bass, 6-12, $244

9^th:          Dexter Andrews, Louisburg, N.C., five bass, 6-9, $216

10^th:        Al Berkley, Madison Heights, Va., four bass, 6-6, $189

Riveras also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $195.

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.