Glouse wins co-angler title
Michael Webster of Gastonia, North Carolina, brought a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 9 ounces to the scale Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League South Carolina Division Super Tournament on Lake Wylie with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 27 pounds, 10 ounces. For his victory, Webster earned $4,476.
“The lake was fishing tough, so I had to junk-fish my way through it,” said Webster of his first career win in FLW competition. “I was mostly targeting isolated areas offshore.
“I hit rock piles and stumps, but the rocks seemed to be firing better,” continued Webster. “I used a Norman Lures DD22 crankbait and probably stopped at 12 spots that were holding fish.”
Webster said it was the 6-pound, 10-ounce behemoth he caught on the final day of the tournament that helped him seal the deal.
“I was flipping a Katch-Her Flipping Jig around 2 p.m. near a dock and it bit,” said Webster. “That catch is what really pushed me ahead of the pack. A 6-pounder is rare for Lake Wylie.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Michael Webster, Gastonia, N.C., 10 bass, 27-10, $4,476
2nd: Ryan Deal, Indian Trail, N.C., 10 bass, 27-6, $2,238
3rd: Bryan New, Belmont, N.C., 10 bass, 26-14, $1,492
4th: Maurice Freeze, Concord, N.C., 10 bass, 26-11, $1,045
5th: Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., 10 bass, 26-3, $895
6th: Mel Long, Hampton, S.C., 10 bass, 25-7, $821
7th: Chris Epting, Chapin, S.C., 10 bass, 24-5, $746
8th: Willie McMullen, Oxford, Ga., 10 bass, 23-10, $671
9th: Greg Rikard, Leesville, S.C., 10 bass, 22-4, $597
10th: Nathan Webber, Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 21-12, $522
Lance Owen of Greer, South Carolina, caught the biggest bass in the pro division Friday, a fish weighing 4 pounds, 6 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $525.
Greg Glouse of Liberty, South Carolina, won the co-angler division and $2,238 with a two-day total of eight bass weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Greg Glouse, Liberty, S.C., eight bass, 16-13, $2,238
2nd: Dean Chapman, Leesville, S.C., six bass, 15-3, $1,119
3rd: Adam Beckum, Martinez, Ga., eight bass, 14-13, $748
4th: Jimmy Bihlear Sr., Goose Creek, S.C., six bass, 13-8, $522
5th: Mark Wingate, Gaston, S.C., seven bass, 12-8, $448
6th: Kim Carver, Milledgeville, Ga., five bass, 11-13, $410
7th: Jason Wiley, Soperton, Ga., four bass, 9-4, $373
8th: Ray Pettit, Pacolet, S.C., three bass, 8-15, $336
9th: Justin Mann, Goose Creek, S.C., four bass, 8-15, $298
10th: Charles Bowman, Kernersville, N.C., four bass, 8-5, $261
Chapman caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $262.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings will now qualify for the Oct. 8-10 Regional Championship on Lake Sinclair in Milledgeville, Georgia. 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
