Lahr Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division on Jordan Lake
OutdoorHub 03.18.13
Gregory Lahr of Fayetteville, N.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 19 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division event on Jordan Lake. For his victory, Lahr earned $3,386.
“After I found the pattern, it was an easy day,” said Lahr. “I didn’t have a very good practice and I know that it was tough for a lot of other anglers too. I know Jordan Lake, and it’s been really stingy lately. Before takeoff I told my co-angler that 13 pounds was going to be strong weight.
“The weather was changing and the very first few fish were coming up to get ready to spawn,” Lehr continued. “I got off the main lake, put my back towards the spawning areas and threw to any wood I could find on the entrances to the small cuts and coves. I targeted the first 20 or 30 feet of every cut and if there were any pieces of wood or brush, that’s what the bass were on. They were holding on the first piece of structure as they made their way off the main lake. I only had five bites the whole day, but I capitalized on all of them.
“After I had my seven pound kicker in the boat, I tried to do the math and I figured I had around 16 to 17 pounds,” Lehr went on to say. “I knew that I was going to cut a check for sure and I felt pretty confident that I might win. I believe the main key to my success was the line and lure combination I was using. I was throwing a Strike King KVD 1.5 crankbait with 10-pound test Vicious Fishing fluorocarbon line. I re-tied after every fish I caught and never came close to losing one.”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Trent Pardue, Troy, N.C., three bass, 14-13, $1,693
3rd: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 13-2, $1,129
4th: George Lambeth, Thomasville, N.C., four bass, 12-8, $790
5th: Marty Stone, Fayetteville, N.C., two bass, 10-14, $677
6th: Buddy Black, Lawndale, N.C., four bass, 9-3, $592
6th: John McBride, Mount Airy, N.C., two bass, 9-3, $592
8th: Wayne Hauser, Moorseville, N.C., three bass, 9-2, $479
8th: Mark Whitman, Elon, N.C., three bass, 9-2, $479
10th: Mike Poe, Bluefield, W.Va., three bass, 8-2, $395
James McAdoo II of Efland, N.C., weighed in three bass totaling 13 pounds, 6 ounces Saturday to win $1,693 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Jordon Venable, Welcome, N.C., one bass, 8-6, $846
3rd: Adam Bach, Kannapolis, one bass, 7-5, $564
4th: Tim Franks, Troy, N.C., one bass, 7-4, $395
5th: Donald Newsome, Winston Salem, N.C., one bass, 6-5, $339
6th: Virgil Wicks, Gaffney, S.C., one bass, 5-15, $310
7th: John M. Cook, Matthews, N.C., one bass, 5-14, $282
8th: Mark Davis, Bear Creek, N.C., two bass, 5-8, $254
9th: Brian Daniel, Four Oaks, N.C., two bass, 5-2, $226
10th: Steve Cannon, Wilkesboro, N.C., two bass, 4-7, $198
The next BFL North Carolina Division tournament is scheduled for May 4 on Lake Wylie in Lake Wylie, S.C. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 10-12 Regional Championship on Lake Lanier in Gainesville, Ga. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 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 40 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 presented by Chevy. The 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27–29 on the Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
