HENDERSON, N.C. (Sept. 25, 2017) – Jonathon Guins of Wendell, North Carolina, weighed a two-day cumulative of eight bass totaling 24 pounds, 13 ounces, to win the Bass Fishing League (BFL) Piedmont Division tournament on Kerr Lake. For his win, Guins earned $8,011. Guins said he fished a 2- to 3-mile stretch midlake to catch his fish. He said he focused on points and smaller pockets, and was able to put nine keepers in his boat throughout the weekend.
“I caught the majority of my fish on a natural-colored topwater bait in 3 to 6 feet of water,” said Guins, who earned his second BFL victory on Kerr Lake. “I only caught three keepers Saturday and six keepers on Sunday. I needed to have wind on the points, and it was a little windier on Sunday.”
Guins said that he also used a Carolina-rigged Zoom Trick Worm and that the bite was best during the mid- to late-morning hours.
“The area I was fishing had quality fish, but not the quantity,” said Guins. “It was a tough tournament. I had to keep my head down and grind it out.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Jonathon Guins, Wendell, N.C., eight bass, 24-13, $6,011 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: Mark Inman, Greensboro, N.C., 10 bass, 22-14, $3,206
3rd: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 22-11, $2,002
4th: Jason Houchins, Clarksville, Va., eight bass, 21-1, $1,503
5th: Kay Choosakul, Lillington, N.C., nine bass, 20-2, $1,202
6th: Billy Shelton III, La Crosse, Va., seven bass, 19-13, $1,102
7th: James Wall, Greensboro, N.C., eight bass, 19-4, $1,002
8th: Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., nine bass, 18-14, $902
9th: Daniel Wicker, Hillsborough, N.C., nine bass, 18-9, $1,627
10th: Scooter Lilley, Williamston, N.C., eight bass, 18-5, $701
Wicker caught a 5-pound, 10-ounce bass – the heaviest of the event in the Boater Division – and earned the Big Bass award of $825. Craig Wright of Rustburg, Virginia, caught a two-day total of eight bass weighing 18 pounds, 10 ounces, to win the Co-angler Division and $3,199.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Craig Wright, Rustburg, Va., eight bass, 18-10, $3,199
2nd: James Hastings, Holly Springs, N.C., six bass, 16-9, $1,499
3rd: Joe Westmoreland, Greensboro, N.C., eight bass, 16-7, $1,046
4th: Jason Hinger, Timberlake, N.C., seven bass, 14-13, $700
5th: Mark Robertson, Henderson, N.C., six bass, 14-6, $600
6th: Stacy Metz, Staley, N.C., seven bass, 14-6, $550
7th: Lenny Baird, Stafford, Va., five bass, 13-3, $500
8th: Robert Tysinger, Coats, N.C., five bass, 12-7, $450
9th: Thomas Hirsch, Powhatan, Va., six bass, 12-7, $400
10th: Randy Ruffin, Norfolk, Va., six bass, 11-15, $350
Mark Whitman of Elon, North Carolina, caught the largest bass in the Co-angler Division – a fish weighing 5 pounds, 5 ounces – and earned the Co-angler Big Bass award of $405.