Forsee wins co-angler title
Kevin Chandler of New London, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 12 ounces, Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division tournament on High Rock Lake presented by Navionics. Chandler took home $6,119 for his victory.
Chandler said he spent his day flipping mid-lake bushes on the main-lake channel. He said he preferred bushes that were shallow, specifically in 12 to 14 inches of water.
“A lot of anglers were fishing the backs of creeks, so the bushes were overlooked,” said Chandler, who earned his fourth win in FLW competition. “All of the fish I weighed in came from two areas. They were prespawn, just about ready to spawn.
“I used one bait to catch my limit – a green-pumpkin-brown Dirty South Lures jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk trailer,” said Chandler. “I flipped directly to the middle of the bush. Most of the fish bit as soon as it entered the water.”
Chandler said he caught approximately 10 keepers throughout the event.
“I caught a 4½-pounder on my second flip,” said Chandler. “I had everything I brought to the scale by 10 a.m.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 20-12, $4,119 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: James Blankenship, Siler City, N.C., five bass, 16-15, $2,359
3rd: Russell Corry, Shelby, N.C., five bass, 15-2, $1,374
4th: John Farmer, Sherrills Ford, N.C., five bass, 13-12, $961
5th: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 12-14, $824
6th: Jeff Queen, Catawba, N.C., four bass, 12-6, $720
6th: Richard Bradford, Hoffman, N.C., five bass, 12-6, $720
8th: Carson Orellana, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 12-4, $618
9th: Tony Holliday, Piedmont, S.C., five bass, 12-2, $549
10th: Charles Bowman, Kernersville, N.C., three bass, 12-1, $480
Ryan Deal of Indian Trail, North Carolina, caught a 6-pound, 12-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $565.
Bryan Forsee of Statesville, North Carolina, weighed in two bass totaling 12 pounds, 7 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,341.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Bryan Forsee, Statesville, N.C., two bass, 12-7, $2,341
2nd: Michael Smith, Lexington, N.C., four bass, 9-2, $1,030
3rd: Wayne Smelser, Rural Retreat, Va., three bass, 8-8, $687
4th: Chip Crews, Trinity, N.C., three bass, 8-1, $480
5th: Tristen Trull, Mount Holly, N.C., two bass, 7-5, $412
6th: Kurt Moser, Max Meadows, Va., one bass, 6-4, $378
7th: Louis Kraft, Salisbury, N.C., one bass, 5-15, $343
8th: Eddie Cook, Clemmons, N.C., two bass, 5-13, $274
8th: Greg Deal, China Grove, N.C., two bass, 5-13, $274
8th: Kyle Richardt, Raleigh, N.C., three bass, 5-13, $274
Forsee also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 10 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $282.
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.
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.
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
