Benge wins co-angler title
Chad Poteat of Mount Airy, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 17 pounds even Saturday to win the third Walmart Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division tournament of 2015 on Kerr Lake. For his victory, Poteat earned $6,244.
Poteat said he flipped the button bushes in the Nutbush Creek area of Kerr Lake, the same pattern he used to win a BFL Shenandoah Division event last month.
“I caught them on a green pumpkin-colored Zoom Brush Hog,” said Poteat. “I was fortunate that the fish were still hanging around the same area.”
Poteat credited a move to a hidden area of the lake, which can only be accessed in certain conditions, as being a key for him.
“There is a bridge that is so close to the water that the lake has to be down to sneak through,” said Poteat. “In order to get back there I took off my windshield, my depth finders, my trolling motor as well as the cap on my motor. It was worth the effort because I caught a 6-pounder flipping the bushes around 10:30 a.m.”
Poteat said that he ended up catching around 14 bass during the tournament.
“I caught two keepers before going under the bridge, but it was the 6-pounder with the Brush Hog that sealed the deal for me,” said Poteat. “I’m truly blessed.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 17-0, $4,244 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Marty Warren, Elon, N.C., five bass, 16-12, $2,122
3rd: George Lambeth, Thomasville, N.C., five bass, 16-8, $1,413
4th: Maurice Freeze, Concord, N.C., five bass, 16-3, $990
5th: Eric Moser, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 15-5, $849
6th: Johnny Guffey, Bessemer City, N.C., five bass, 14-15, $778
7th: Shawn Hammack, Gasburg, Va., five bass, 14-13, $707
8th: Michael Webster, Gastonia, N.C., five bass, 14-9, $637
9th: Jason Wilson, Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 14-8, $566
10th: Ronnie McCoy, Lamar, S.C., five bass, 14-6, $470
10th: James Wall, Greensboro, N.C., five bass, 14-6, $470
Poteat also caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division, a fish weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounce and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $600.
Mathew Benge of Maiden, North Carolina, weighed in a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win $2,122 in the co-angler division.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Matthew Benge, Maiden, N.C., five bass, 13-13, $2,122
2nd: Marvin Godard, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 13-10, $1,061
3rd: Steve Cannon, Wilkesboro, N.C., five bass, 12-9, $707
4th: Kevin Lynch, Hickory, N.C., five bass, 11-6, $495
5th: Will White, Wake Forest, N.C., five bass, 10-14, $424
6th: Kurt Moser, Max Meadows, Va., five bass, 10-8, $389
7th: Jeff Rikard, Leesville, S.C., five bass, 10-7, $354
8th: Nicholas Shaver, Marion, N.C., five bass, 10-0, $300
8th: Jeffery Wingler, Wilkesboro, N.C., five bass, 10-0, $300
10th: Jason Barraza, Mooresville, N.C., four bass, 9-14, $248
Cannon caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $300.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Lake Wateree in Camden, 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 compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2015 over the course of 240 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW" television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
