MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 30, 2024) – Boater Mark Inman of Greensboro, North Carolina, caught a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 30 pounds, 7 ounces, to win the MLF Bass Fishing League (BFL) Super Tournament on Lake Norman . The tournament, which concluded Sunday, was the fifth and final event of the season for the BFL North Carolina Division. Inman earned $7,340, including the $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus, for his victory.
After a tough start to practice, Inman got a tip from a friend that helped him eventually piece together a productive pattern fishing a mix of a jig, shaky head and topwater. The key was running and gunning so he could get in front of new fish throughout the tournament.
“Once I learned the pattern, I gave it about 10, 15 minutes on a stretch of shoreline, and if I didn’t get bit I’d just crank up and go somewhere new,” said Inman, who weighed in 12 pounds, 6 ounces on day one.
Heavy rains at the end of the week certainly impacted the bite, as Inman eventually found himself hunting clean water on Sunday. The other key was being around baitfish.
“It wasn’t muddy when I started (on Saturday),” he said. “I caught about 12, 13 fish, but I only caught seven or eight keepers. Then today (Sunday), I started in an area that was close to it (where he fished Saturday), and I ended up losing a couple. I started looking down at the water, and I thought, they don’t eat good in this fresh water. I’ve got to move.
“I went to another place I caught fish yesterday and never got a bite. I told that my co-angler we’re going fishing. My daddy always said, ‘When your stuff gets burned up, you go fishing.’ That’s what I did today, and the good Lord blessed me. Everything just went right. I caught about 30 keepers.”
That impressive catch of 30 keepers included a big kicker that bit at around 11 o’clock. Inman thought he might’ve had it won at that point. Turns out, it wouldn’t have been enough. Thankfully, he landed a 3-plus-pounder late in the day, which culled him up to 18 pounds, 1 ounce – easily the biggest bag of the tournament – for the win.
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament:
1st: Mark Inman, Greensboro, N.C., 10 bass, 30-7, $7,340 (includes $2,500 Phoenix MLF Contingency Bonus)
2nd: Isaac Ledford, Dallas, N.C., 10 bass, 29-1, $2,270
3rd: Kaden Buchmann, Mooresville, N.C., 10 bass, 26-7, $1,515
4th: Mark Davis, Bear Creek, N.C., 10 bass, 25-12, $1,059
5th: David Bright, Mooresville, N.C., 10 bass, 25-9, $1,033
6th: Rob Digh, Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 25-7, $832
7th: Michael Campbell, Pineville, S.C., 10 bass, 24-15, $1,289
8th: Lucas Murphy, West Columbia, S.C., 10 bass, 24-14, $681
9th: Scott Hamrick, Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 24-9, $605
10th: Jake Monti, Mooresville, N.C., 10 bass, 24-5, $530
Complete results can be found at MajorLeagueFishing.com.
Michael Campbell of Pineville, South Carolina, caught a bass that weighed 4 pounds, 7 ounces, and earned the Big Bass Boater award of $532. Jean Lacerte of Elm City, North Carolina, won the co-angler division and $2,270 Sunday, after bringing a two-day total of 10 bass to the scale that weighed 22 pounds, 2 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Jean Lacerte, Elm City, N.C., 10 bass, 22-2, $2,270
2nd: Jason Hinger, Timberlake, N.C., 10 bass, 21-0, $1,385
3rd: Eric Stanbery, Lewisville, N.C., 10 bass, 20-5, $757
4th: David Deciucis, Chester, Va., 10 bass, 20-2, $796
5th: Jerry Morris, Charlotte, N.C., 10 bass, 19-10, $454
6th: Greg Mauldin II, Archdale, N.C., nine bass, 19-2, $416
7th: Hunter Alexander, China Grove, N.C., 10 bass, 18-10, $378
8th: Arthur Harris, York, S.C., 10 bass, 18-9, $341
9th: Adam Radovic, Brecksville, Ohio, eight bass, 17-12, $303
10th: Hunter Carpenter, Lincolnton, N.C., nine bass, 16-15, $265
David Deciucis of Chester, Virginia, earned the Big Bass co-angler award of $266, catching a bass that weighed in at 3 pounds, 4 ounces – the largest co-angler catch of the tournament.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Scott Hamrick of Denver, North Carolina, was crowned the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Angler of the Year (AOY) and earned the $1,000 payout with 1,320 points, while Lacerte, the co-angler tournament winner, also sewed up the Fishing Clash North Carolina Division Co-angler of the Year race with 1,338 points to take home the $500 prize.
https://dev.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_123/bfl-norman-93024.html
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