HENDERSON, N.C. (June 24, 2013) – Chris Baldwin of Lexington, N.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 16 pounds, 3 ounces Saturday to win the Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament on Kerr Lake. For his victory, Baldwin earned $3,247.
Baldwin added to his impressive resume on Kerr Lake with his third BFL win. This was “totally different from my other two wins. I knew 16 pounds was a good catch on Kerr Lake, but I didn’t want to jinx myself,” Baldwin said. “I figured I was having a good day, so someone else was catching them, too.” As it turned out, Baldwin won handily by almost a pound.
The Lexington local started the day fishing a Rebel Pop-R around bushes and lay-downs and landed his three biggest fish by 8 a.m.
When the Pop-R bite tapered off, Baldwin made a move. “I went out to a deep place I had saved from practice. I culled two there on a pearl- and blue-colored Rapala DT 10 crankbait.” The deep place in question was a creek channel drop in 10 feet of water with a combination of brush and rocks that held lots of bass.
Baldwin wasn’t done with his diverse assault on Kerr Lake after the crankbait bite. Baldwin switched over to a Heddon Zara Spook and threw it around the shoals to help him cull an expiring fish and avoid a possible penalty before weighing - in for the win.
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Manley Jones, Raleigh, N.C., five bass, 15-4, $1,623
3rd: Dennis Gilbert, Nathalie, Va., five bass, 14-9, $1,082
4th: Stuart Hicks, Statesville, N.C., five bass, 14-1, $758
5th: Greg Lahr, Fayetteville, N.C., five bass, 13-15, $649
6th: Derek Dixon, Kings Mountain, N.C., five bass, 13-1, $595
7th: Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., five bass, 12-8, $541
8th: Jason Houchins, Clarksville, Va., five bass, 12-4, $487
9th: Junior Allen, Biscoe, N.C., five bass, 11-15, $406
9th: Bernie Davis, Charlotte, N.C., five bass, 11-15, $406
Brad Wright of Granite Falls, N.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 10 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win $1,623 in the co-angler division. Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Greg Mauldin, Archdale, N.C., five bass, 10-6, $812
3rd: Shorty Vaow, Cornelius, N.C., four bass, 9-13, $541
4th: John Cook, Matthews, N.C., three bass, 9-2, $379
5th: Vernon Adams, Durham, N.C., five bass, 9-1, $325
6th: Evan Benton, Davidson, N.C., four bass, 8-13, $298
7th: Alex Hester, Matthews, N.C., four bass, 8-12, $291
8th: Jerry Lineberger, Lincolnton, N.C., four bass, 8-6, $244
9th: Kevin Thomas, Charlotte, N.C., four bass, 7-13, $216
10th: Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., four bass, 7-9, $189
The final BFL North Carolina Division tournament of 2013 is scheduled for Sept. 7-8 on High Rock Lake in Salisbury, N.C.. After that 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.