Minnesota’s Willert Wins Second Consecutive Co-angler Title, $20K
Pro David Williams of Maiden, North Carolina, caught five bass Friday weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces, to extend his lead at the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine. Williams’ two-day total of 10 bass weighing 34 pounds even gives him a 3-pound, 12-ounce advantage heading into Saturday over second-place pro Cody Meyer of Auburn, California, who has 10 bass weighing 30-4. The field is now cut to the final 30 pros, with only 10 anglers advancing to championship Sunday where the winner will take home the top prize of up to $125,000.
“I probably caught 50 keepers today and ended up weighing in three largemouth and two spotted bass,” said Williams, who is currently ranked fifth in the 2018 Pennzoil Marine Angler of the Year standings. “I went through the same two creeks (from Thursday) as well as a third creek and caught them just as good. I actually lost a big one in the third creek. I had a chance to have as big of a bag as I did yesterday if I’d have gotten it in the boat.”
Williams fished flooded cover and docks Friday, and his biggest catch of the day was a spotted bass – a 4-pound, 9-ouncer.
“I left my main area where I caught most of my big ones by 10 (a.m.),” said Williams. “I should be able to hammer on them a little more this weekend, and I’ll probably need to.”
Williams emphasized that he needs to finish strong if he wants to seal the deal on championship Sunday.
“It’s a tough field. You’ve got guys behind you like Cody Meyer and Matt Arey – guys that are real veterans. If you slip up, even a little bit, they’ll take advantage of it. I think I’m around the winning fish. I just need to execute and put them in the boat.”
The top 30 pros that made the first cut and will fish Saturday on Lewis Smith Lake are:
1st: David Williams, Maiden, N.C., 10 bass, 34-0
2nd: Cody Meyer, Auburn, Calif., 15-13, 30-4
3rd: Pennzoil Marine pro Matt Arey, Shelby, N.C., 10 bass, 30-2
4th: Greg Bohannan, Bentonville, Ark., 10 bass, 29-7
5th: Jordan Osborne, Longview, Texas, 10 bass, 29-0
6th: Matt Becker, Finleyville, Pa., 10 bass, 28-15
7th: Jim Moynagh, Carver, Minn., 10 bass, 28-13
8th: Joseph Webster, Winfield, Ala., 10 bass, 28-11
9th: Todd Auten, Lake Wylie, S.C., 10 bass, 28-4
10th: John Cox, DeBary, Fla., 10 bass, 28-0
11th: Blake Smith, Lakeland, Fla., 10 bass, 27-6
12th: Robert Behrle, Hoover, Ala., 10 bass, 27-2
13th: Jason Reyes, Huffman, Texas, 10 bass, 26-5
14th: Clent Davis, Montevallo, Ala., 10 bass, 26-4
15th: Jeff Gustafson, Keewatin, Ontario, Canada, 10 bass, 26-4
16th: Cabela’s pro Clark Wendlandt, Leander, Texas, 10 bass, 26-2
17th: Billy McCaghren, Mayflower, Ark., 10 bass, 25-10
18th: Andrew Upshaw, Tulsa, Okla., 10 bass, 25-6
19th: Cody Hahner, Wausau, Wis., 10 bass, 25-6
20th: Cabela’s pro James Niggemeyer, Van, Texas, 10 bass, 25-4
21st: Jeff Dobson, Bartlesville, Okla., 10 bass, 24-14
22nd: Randy Haynes, Ripley, Miss., 10 bass, 24-14
23rd: Berkley pro Justin Atkins, Florence, Ala., 10 bass, 24-14
24th: Yamamoto Baits pro Jimmy Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., 10 bass, 24-13
25th: General Tire pro Mark Rose, West Memphis, Ark., 10 bass, 24-12
26th: Costa pro Russell Cecil, Willis, Texas, 10 bass, 24-11
27th: Rex Huff, Corbin, Ky., 10 bass, 24-11
28th: Gene Larew pro Kyle Cortiana, Broken Arrow, Okla., 10 bass, 24-8
29th: Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., 10 bass, 24-6
30th: J.T. Kenney, Palm Bay, Fla., 10 bass, 24-4
Smith earned the $500 Simms Big Bass award in the Pro Division Friday thanks to a 5-pound, 2-ounce bass.
Overall there were 855 bass weighing 1,715 pounds, 15 ounces caught by 178 pros Friday. The catch included 164 five-bass limits.
Joel Willert of Prior Lake, Minnesota, won the Co-angler Division and $20,100 Friday with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 24 pounds, 4 ounces. After winning the Co-angler title at Lake Cumberland earlier this month, Willert became the fifth co-angler in FLW Tour history to win back-to-back events.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Joel Willert, Prior Lake, Minn., 10 bass, 24-4, $20,100
2nd: Kyle Owen, Bradenton, Fla., 10 bass, 22-0, $7,550
3rd: Mark Horton, Nicholasville, Ky., nine bass, 21-7, $5,000
4th: Jerry Reagan, Byrdstown, Tenn., 10 bass, 21-7, $4,250
5th: Kyle Glasgow, Guin, Ala., 10 bass, 20-8, $3,000
6th: Gary Haraguchi, San Jose, Calif., 10 bass, 20-4, $2,500
7th: Justin Mounce, Springdale, Ark., 10 bass, 20-1, $2,000
8th: Joshua Perrymon, Guntersville, Ala., 10 bass, 19-6, $1,800
9th: James Littich, Davidson, N.C., 10 bass, 18-15, $1,700
10th: Wataru Iwahori, Palestine, Texas, 10 bass, 18-10, $1,600
Reagan earned $250 for the Simms Big Bass award in the Co-angler Division Friday with a bass weighing 5 pounds even.
Overall there were 649 bass weighing 1,023 pounds, 13 ounces caught by 172 co-anglers Friday. The catch included 77 five-bass limits.
In FLW Tour competition, pros and co-anglers are randomly paired each day, with pros supplying the boat, controlling boat movement and competing against other pros. Co-anglers fish from the back deck against other co-anglers. The full field of anglers competed in the two-day opening round. Co-angler competition concluded following Friday’s weigh-in, while the top 30 pros based on their two-day accumulated weight advance to Saturday. Only the top 10 pros continue competition Sunday, with the winner determined by the heaviest accumulated weight from the four days of competition.
The total purse for the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine is more than $930,000. The event is hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County
Anglers will take off at 6:30 a.m. CDT each day from the Smith Lake Dam Access, located at 7482 Smith Lake Dam Road in Jasper. Saturday and Sunday’s weigh-ins, April 28-29, will be held at the Access beginning at 4 p.m.
Prior to the weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29, FLW will host a free Family Fishing Expo at the Smith Lake Dam Access from noon to 4 p.m. The Expo is the perfect opportunity for fishing fans of all ages to meet their favorite anglers, enjoy interactive games, activities and giveaways provided by FLW sponsors, and learn more about the sport of fishing and other outdoor activities.
Also for youth, the FLW Foundation’s Unified Fishing Derby will be held at the Smith Lake Dam Access on Saturday, April 28, from 9-11 a.m. The event is hosted by FLW Foundation pro Cody Kelley along with other FLW Tour anglers, and is free and open to youth (18 and under) and Special Olympics athletes (all ages). Rods and reels are available for use, but youth are encouraged to bring their own if they own one. The 1st and 2nd place anglers that catch the biggest fish will be recognized Saturday on the FLW Tour stage, just prior to the pros weighing in.
Television coverage of the FLW Tour at Lewis Smith Lake presented by T-H Marine will premiere in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) June 6 from Noon-1 p.m. EST. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show airs on NBCSN, the Pursuit Channel and the World Fishing Network and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWFishing.com.
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 2018 across five tournament circuits. Headquartered in Benton, Kentucky, with offices in Minneapolis, FLW and their partners conduct 286 bass-fishing tournaments annually around the world, including the United States, Canada, China, Italy, South Korea, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa and Spain. 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
