Jennings Wins Walmart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division Event on High Rock Lake
OutdoorHub 07.15.13
Jeff Jennings of Rock Hill, S.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 12 ounces Saturday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division event on High Rock Lake. For his victory, Jennings earned $3,545.
Boater Jason Shipton of Muncy, Pa., won the July 13 Walmart BFL Northeast Division event on Oneida Lake with a total catch of 16 pounds, 15 ounces. Shipton took home over $4,150 in winnings after capturing the tournament title.
“The day started a little hard for me, but I just kept trying. I didn’t have a fish by 10:00,” said Jennings. “Then I went to one place and caught three good fish in an hour. In practice the same thing happened. I’d have a hard morning and then catch good fish in the afternoon.”
Jennings said he pitched a beaver-style bait to docks and wood cover in up to 10 feet of water. “You could go and hit 25 places without a bite and then catch two or three off the same dock or in the same little stretch.”
Even though Jennings won by more than 2 pounds, he didn’t think he’d have enough to win. “I had a 14-inch fish in my limit and I thought I had 18 or 19 pounds. I thought that 14-inch fish would cost me the tournament”
Rounding out the top 10 pros were:
2nd: Randy Childers, Anderson, S.C., five bass, 19-8, $1,773
3rd: Kevin Chandler, New London, N.C., five bass, 18-8, $1,004
4th: Scott Threadgill, Troy, N.C., five bass, 18-1, $1,004
5th: Jarrett Freeze, Rockwell, S.C., five bass, 17-10, $709
6th: Steve Sink, Winston-Salem, N.C., five bass, 17-6, $650
7th: Scott Guyot, Wagram, N.C., five bass, 17-4, $591
8th: Ray Griffin, Henderson, N.C., five bass, 17-3, $532
9th: Eric Moser, Salisbury, N.C., five bass, 16-9, $473
10th: Jeff Queen, Catawba, N.C., five bass, 16-3, $414
Complete results can be found at FLWOutdoors.com.
Marty Daniel of Butler, N.C., weighed a five-bass limit totaling 12 pounds, 15 ounces Saturday to win $1,773 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Greg Deal, China Grove, N.C., five bass, 12-13, $886
3rd: Robert Barrett, Youngsville, N.C., five bass, 11-15, $591
4th: Arthur Ferguson, Lexington, N.C., five bass, 11-14, $414
5th: Wayne Smelser, Rural Retreat, Va., five bass, 11-1, $355
6th: Bradley Chandler, New London, N.C., four bass, 10-10, $325
7th: Anthony Rife, Woodlawn, Va., five bass, 9-10, $295
8th: Chuck Morton, Danville, Va., four bass, 9-6, $266
9th: Wayne Austin, High Point, N.C., three bass, 9-2, $236
10th: Dennis Middleton, Madison Heights, Va., four bass, 8-8, $207
The next BFL Piedmont Division tournament is scheduled for September 28-29 on Lake Gaston in Bracey, Va. After the last divisional tournament is complete, the top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers based on point standings will qualify for the Oct.17-19 Regional Championship on Lake Hartwell in Lavonia, 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.
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 2013 BFL All-American is being held June 27–29 on Nickajack Lake in Chattanooga, Tenn. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the EverStart Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
