Milligan wins co-angler title
Jeff Queen of Catawba, North Carolina, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 20 pounds, 9 ounces, Saturday to win the second FLW Bass Fishing League (BFL) North Carolina Division tournament of 2016 on Kerr Lake presented by Power-Pole. For his victory, Queen took home $4,507.
“On the morning of the event we had wind gusting up to 40 mph, so I had to change my game plan,” said Queen, who earned his first win in FLW competition. “With huge the swells on the main lake, I opted for running points in Nutbush Creek.”
Queen said he positioned his boat in 8 to 12 feet of water where larger females were active. He said that this tactic was crucial to his success.
“Everyone else was fishing up shallow on the banks with their boats over the top of the fish,” said Queen. “In those spots, there will never be a shortage of bass, but they will be smaller bucks. With the cold front that moved through, the scarce, heavier females were out deep. I only had about 8 bites, but they were the right ones.”
Queen said he dragged a green-pumpkin-colored TrueSouth Jig with a green-pumpkin Zoom Super Chunk trailer to hit nearly 30 wind-blown points.
“I felt good about the decisions I made,” said Queen. “I was able to produce a decent limit and get my first win.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jeff Queen, Catawba, N.C., five bass, 20-9, $4,507
2nd: Joey Sabbagha, Prosperity, S.C., five bass, 18-13, $2,553
3rd: Tim Grein, Winston Salem, N.C., five bass, 17-8, $1,502
4th: Jason Wilson, Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 17-2, $976
4th: Scott Beattie, Lincolnton, N.C., five bass, 17-2, $976
6th: David Farrington, Greensboro, N.C., five bass, 17-0, $826
7th: Russell Hoyle, Newton, N.C., five bass, 16-8, $713
7th: Steve Godfrey, Candler, N.C., five bass, 16-8, $713
9th: Adam Watts, Chadbourn, N.C., five bass, 16-6, $601
10th: Conrad Bolt, Seneca, S.C., five bass, 16-2, $499
10th: Steve Harwood, Weaverville, N.C., five bass, 16-2, $499
Shawn Hammack of Gasburg, Virginia, caught a 6-pound, 7-ounce bass – the biggest of the tournament in the pro division – and earned the day’s Boater Big Bass award of $655.
Tommy Milligan of Surfside Beach, South Carolina, weighed in five bass totaling 14 pounds, 10 ounces, Saturday to win the co-angler division and earn $2,253.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Tommy Milligan, Surfside Beach, S.C., five bass, 14-10, $2,253
2nd: Paul Smith, Victoria, Va., five bass, 13-14, $1,127
3rd: Chip Crews, Trinity, N.C., five bass, 13-11, $751
4th: Scott Plattenberger, Concord, N.C., five bass, 13-7, $526
5th: Michael Thomas, York, S.C., five bass, 13-6, $451
6th: Adam Lockler, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 13-5, $413
7th: Jeremy Moody, Creedmoor, N.C., four bass, 12-13, $357
7th: Tony Toombs, Drakes Branch, Va., five bass, 12-13, $357
9th: Edward Louthen, Princeton, W. Va., four bass, 11-7, $300
10th: Khris Williams, Mount Holly, N.C., five bass, 11-6, $263
Mike Shatley of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division, a fish weighing 5 pounds, 1 ounce and earned the day’s Co-angler Big Bass award of $327.
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
