Anders Gets Elusive First Win
Local angler gets co-angler win
Joe Anders is quite the local stick, having won a number of events in the area in recent years. He’d never won an FLW event, though. Well, at least not until Friday.
After taking the lead on day one with 17-6, the angler from Easley, S.C., followed that up with 14-4 to beat out Brad Wiley of Alto, Ga., by 9 ounces to win the co-angler crown and a prize package worth $25,100 at the FLW Tour Event presented by Ranger on Lake Lanier.
“This is a dream come true,” says Anders. “I’ve won everywhere except FLW, and I’ve been fishing BFLs for years. I’ve been close so many times.”
Typically, Anders fishes as a boater, but after seeing a Facebook ad about being a co-angler he and a friend signed up. Turns out, he made the right choice.
Anders started his tournament throwing a shaky head while fishing with pro Michael Wooley. Try as he might though, he couldn’t get bit on it. Frustrated, he picked up a brown ½-ounce E&L jig and caught a 5-pounder on his first cast and caught another 5-pounder on it later. He mixed in a jerkbait for his other three fish.
Ironically, while he caught three fish on the jig Friday while fishing with Billy Hines, it was the shaky head that did the heavy lifting.
“Both my big ones today came on shaky heads,” says Anders, whose jig of choice was a 5/16-ounce Big Bite Baits Stand Up Fintwist jig head rigged with a green pumpkin worm.
