Walser Wins on Norman

Lawson earns co-angler crown in North Carolina Super Tournament

Robert Walser of Lexington, North Carolina, won the T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division tournament on Lake Norman Sunday with a two-day cumulative catch of 10 bass weighing 25 pounds, 6 ounces. For his efforts, Walser pocketed $6,014.

 

“On Saturday I focused on fish on the north end of the lake,” says Walser, who earned his 10^th career-victory in FLW competition. “I caught them early on points using a white buzzbait, and then switched to a (Zoom) Finesse Worm for bass near isolated wood.”

 

Walser had a limit of fish heading into Saturday afternoon, but eventually hit a lull. Around 2 p.m., he says he decided to work through a stretch of docks above the Highway 150 bridge that he had fished during practice. He switched to a Zoom Baby Brush Hog and was able to put a 6-2 bass in the boat.

 

“On Sunday I switched things up and headed down south,” says Walser. “I used the buzzbait and was culling by 8:30 (a.m.) I had all of my weight by 10 (a.m.), but wasn’t sure I had enough to win. There are a lot of talented anglers around Lake Norman, and they know how to make the right adjustments. Luckily everything worked out.”

 

The top 10 boaters:

              

1^st:          Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 25-6, $6,014

              

2^nd:         John Allen, Concord, N.C., 10 bass, 23-13, $2,539

              

3^rd:          Rob Digh, Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 23-7, $1,894

              

4^th:          Artie Phillips, Monroe, N.C., 10 bass, 23-6, $1,185

              

5^th:          John Parker, Gaffney, S.C., 10 bass, 23-0, $1,015

              

6^th:          Shane LeHew, Catawba, N.C., 10 bass, 22-9, $1,031

              

7^th:          Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., 10 bass, 21-13, $846

              

8^th:          Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 10 bass, 21-9, $762

              

9^th:          Dylan Fulk, Concord, N.C., 10 bass, 21-0, $677

              

10^th:        Cody Hoyle, Rutherfordton, N.C., 10 bass, 20-4, $592

 

Complete results can be found at FLWFishing.com.  

 

Walser’s 6-pound, 2-ouncer was the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division. The catch earned him the Boater Big Bass award of $637.

 

 

 

Lawson wins co-angler title

 

Tobey Lawson of Raleigh, North Carolina, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $2,739.

 

The top 10 co-anglers:

              

1^st:          Tobey Lawson, Raleigh, N.C., 10 bass, 18-10, $2,739

              

2^nd:         Kevin Jones, Hope Mills, N.C., nine bass, 18-2, $1,269

              

3^rd:          Brian Transon, Sherrills Ford, N.C., 10 bass, 16-15, $846

              

4^th:          Adam Lockler, Charlotte, N.C., nine bass, 15-13, $642

              

5^th:          Phillip Rogers, Cornelius, N.C., seven bass, 14-12, $508

              

6^th:          Hunter Harwell, Hickory, N.C., nine bass, 13-8, $465

              

7^th:          Tyler Ward, Grover, N.C., seven bass, 13-7, $423

              

8^th:          Paul Foley, Mooresville, N.C., seven bass, 12-15, $381

              

9^th:          Steven Spivey, Whiteville, N.C., seven bass, 12-6, $339

              

10^th:        Thomas McDermott, Madison, N.C., six bass, 11-14, $296

 

Nathan Grose of Summersville, West Virginia, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 3 pounds, 11 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $319.

 

The top 45 boaters and co-anglers in the region based on point standings, along with the five winners in each qualifying event, will be entered in the Oct. 12-14 BFL Regional Championship on the James River in Williamsburg, Virginia. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude outboard.