Beattie and Tate Tie at Walmart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division Event on Kerr Lake
OutdoorHub 06.02.14
Scott Beattie of Lincolnton, N.C., and Scott Tate of Marion, N.C., each weighed a five-bass limit totaling 13 pounds, 9 ounces Saturday to tie for the win at the third Walmart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament of 2014 on Kerr Lake. For their victories, each earned $2,659, with Beattie taking home an extra $2,300 in sponsor contingency bonuses.
It was the first career win for both.
“I ran pockets with a Senko,” said Beattie. “I was making long casts and letting it sit in the bush. They would grab it real quick and run off with the bait. I also caught a four-pounder off of a bream bed on a jig that really helped me.
“I had a fish that passed away because it took the Senko so deep – it bumped my weight down a little bit,” Beattie continued. “It was rough, but I didn’t think I had enough weight to win anyway. I had been catching about 15 pounds per day in practice.”
Tate said he started the day flipping sweet gum trees to catch a small limit, but ended up culling them all with fish he caught throwing a spinnerbait on laydowns.
“When the wind picked up it really made my spinnerbait pattern the right decision,” said Tate. “The fish were sitting in the bushy ends of the laydowns in about 8-feet of water and I just slow-rolled the spinnerbait down the tree trunks.”
Beattie reported using a Shooter Lures jig and a 5-inch green-pumpkin-colored Yamamoto Senko with a 1/8-ounce sinker to catch his winning limit.
Tate said that he caught his fish using a chartreuse and white-colored ½-ounce Basscraft spinnerbait with gold and silver willowleaf blades.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
3rd: Chad Poteat, Mount Airy, N.C., five bass, 13-8, $1,181
4th: Robert Barrett, Youngsville, N.C., five bass, 13-6, $827
5th: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 13-3, $709 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
6th: Wesley Cashwell, Roanoke Rapids, N.C., five bass, 12-13, $650
7th: Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., five bass, 12-11, $591
8th: James Wall, Greensboro, N.C., five bass, 12-6, $532
9th: Michael Chlomoudis, Murfreesboro, N.C., five bass, 12-4, $443
9th: Wally Szuba, Cary, N.C., five bass, 12-4, $443
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Curtis Sims of Woolwine, Va., weighed in three bass totaling 10 pounds, 13 ounces Saturday to win $1,773 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Lawrence Aucoin, Durham, N.C., five bass, 10-8, $738
2nd: Jerry Comperatore, Tarentum, Pa., four bass, 10-8, $738
4th: Alan Rae, Mount Holly, N.C., five bass, 10-1, $414
5th: Roger Toler, Gilbert, W.Va., five bass, 9-13, $355
6th: Thomas Jones, Concord, N.C., four bass, 9-11, $310
6th: Tristen Trull, Mt. Holly, N.C., five bass, 9-11, $310
8th: Jason Barraza, Mooresville, N.C., five bass, 9-6, $266
9th: Ethan Icard, Charlotte, N.C., four bass, 9-3, $236
10th: Ralph Hollifield Sr., Winston-Salem, N.C., five bass, 8-12, $207
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct. 9-11 Regional Championship on Lake Cherokee in Morristown, Tenn. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, 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 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 2014 BFL All-American is being held June 5-7 on Wilson Lake in Florence, Ala. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
