Pipkin wins co-angler title
Wally Szuba of Cary, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds even Saturday to win the FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) Shenandoah Division tournament on the Potomac River presented by Power-Pole. For his victory, Szuba took home $5,121.
According to tournament reports, Szuba targeted wood using a jig, crankbait and a Z-Man ChatterBait to catch his limit.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Wally Szuba, Cary, N.C., five bass, 20-0, $5,121
2nd: Ray Griffin, Greensboro, N.C., five bass, 19-2, $2,561
3rd: Sean Lewis, Baskerville, Va., five bass, 18-7, $1,705
4th: Carlton Owens, Franklin, Va., five bass, 17-10, $1,195
5th: David Barker, Emitsburg, Md., five bass, 17-9, $1,024
6th: Matt Funk, Suffolk, Va., five bass, 17-4, $939
7th: Ronnie Baker, Providence Forge, Va., five bass, 17-1, $854
8th: Rich Newton, Milford, Va., five bass, 16-15, $768
9th: Ernie Freeman, Broad Run, Va., five bass, 16-7, $640
9th: Dennis McNeal, Stafford, Va., five bass, 16-7, $640
Andrew Green of Crofton, Maryland, caught a bass weighing 6 pounds even – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $790.
Troy Pipkin of Dulles, Virginia, weighed in five bass totaling 17 pounds, 11 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,561.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Troy Pipkin, Dulles, Va., five bass, 17-11, $2,561
2nd: Aaron Bartlett, Mechanicsville, Va., five bass, 16-5, $1,280
3rd: Matt McCluskey, Ashburn, Va., five bass, 16-0, $854
4th: Chris Whittaker, Waverly, Va., five bass, 15-6, $598
5th: Robbie Walker, Baltimore, Md., five bass, 15-3, $512
6th: Sergio Render, Christiansburg, Va., five bass, 14-15, $469
7th: Kevin Hensley, Clarksville, Va., five bass, 14-11, $405
7th: Safulla Rana, Warrenton, Va., five bass, 14-11, $405
9th: Scott Howard, Bedford, Va., five bass, 14-8, $341
10th: Matthew Jennings, Suffolk, Va., five bass, 14-6, $284
10th: Ricky Windsor, Woodbridge, Va., five bass, 14-6, $284
Richard Pace of Frederick, Maryland, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 6 ounces and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $395.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 6-8 Regional Championship on Kerr Lake in Henderson, North 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
