SALISBURY, N.C., (Sept. 9, 2013) – James Blankenship of Lexington, N.C., weighed a 10-bass limit totaling 33 pounds, 8 ounces Sunday to win the Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament on High Rock Lake. For his victory, Blankenship earned $5,196.
Blankenship locked up his second BFL win of the year by catching the biggest bag of the tournament on the first day and maintaining his lead on the second.
On the first day, Blankenship fished shallow bushes and laydowns up the river for his big bag. “I laid off the fish early on Saturday thinking I could come back and catch them again Sunday,” said Blankenship. “But the water level fell 6 or 8-inches and those fish relocated.
“Sunday I caught all my fish on shallow docks in the main lake,” said Blankenship. “I knew I was going to give the tournament away if I didn’t adjust.”
Blankenship said he caught his fish on a Zoom Super Hog and a Zoom Brush Hog.
2nd: James Wall, Greensboro, N.C., 10 bass, 31-12, $2,598
3rd: Wayne Hauser, Mooresville, N.C., 10 bass, 31-10, $1,733
4th: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 30-7, $1,213
5th: Tommy Jones, Salisbury, N.C., 10 bass, 29-8, $1,039
6th: Jeremy Talbert, Albemarle, N.C., 10 bass, 29-4, $953
7th: Shane Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., 10 bass, 28-7, $866
8th: Dwayne Hughes, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 27-11, $780
9th: Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 27-8, $693
10th: Robert Walser, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 26-2, $606 + $300 Evinrude Bonus
Lawrence Aucoin of Durham, N.C., weighed in eight bass totaling 24 pounds, 5 ounces Sunday to win $2,599 in the co-angler division. Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Justin Bach, Kannapolis, N.C., eight bass, 22-14, $1,299
3rd: Tim Cales, Sandstone, W. Va., eight bass, 19-14, $867
4th: Orlando Giles, Lexington, N.C., eight bass, 19-9, $606
5th: Chip Crews, Thomasville, N.C., eight bass, 18-1, $520
6th: Joseph Westmoreland, Greensboro, N.C., six bass, 16-3, $476
7th: Kenneth Rippey, Galax, Va., six bass, 14-14, $433
8th: Brian Nappier, Cornelius, N.C., six bass, 13-2, $390
9th: Greg Deal, China Grove, N.C., five bass, 12-4, $346
10th: Johnathan Wall, Lowgap, N.C., five bass, 11-13, $303
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.