There will probably be shootouts in both the Boater and Co-Angler Divisions for the points championship, said tournament director Gary Conner.

“The anglers this weekend will have two goals,” Conner said. “The first goal is to finish in the top 40 as the top 40 boaters and the top 40 co-anglers will continue on to the no-entry fee regional championship on Smith Mountain Lake Oct. 19-20.

“The second goal for this weekend is to determine the points champions. The points champions will have their entry fees paid for next year and they get a set of Odyssey Batteries valued at $1,000.”

There is a tight race in both divisions, Conner said, and with the finale being a two-day tournament with double points awarded for placement, the top anglers could be involved in a hard scramble to finish on top. In normal season events 250 points are awarded for first place, with a one-point drop for each place down from the top. This tournament is worth 500 points, with a two-point spread, Conner explained.

“There should be a three-way shootout to see who ends up as points champion on the boater side, Conner said. “Joel Eberts and Brad Weese are neck and neck, so there will be a shootout between those two to see who ends up on top. Then there is Ken Staton in third place who also has a chance at it.”

Weese, of Petersburg, W. Va., and Eberts of Powhatan, Va., both have 983 points. Staton, of Appomattox, Va., is 24 points behind.

Neither Weese nor Eberts has won a tournament this year, but they both finished in the top 10 in all four qualifying events so far. Staton has two top 15s and a top 10.

“On the Co-angler side Kevin Hensely has an 8-point lead over Robert Morris, so they could end up in a shootout, too,” Conner said.

In fact, only 17 points separate the top five Co-anglers. Hensley of Clarksville Va., leads with 984 points, trailed by Morris of Roanoke, Va., with 976. But the field tightens up right under Morris. Jerry Tyler of Weldon, N.C., trails Morris by 4 points; Terry Weese of Petersburg, W. Va., is only one point behind Tyler; and David Allen of Locust Grove, Va., is only three points behind Weese.

The top 40 anglers and co-anglers who advance to the regional championship on Smith Mountain Lake will be fishing there to make the top 50 in each division. The top 50 anglers and top 50 co-anglers will earn a berth in the National Championship on Lake Sam Rayburn in Texas in November.

“As far as the lake is concerned for this weekend, Kerr is down to 295 feet and water temperatures are starting to drop. Fishing is starting to pick up. The guys will be concentrating on the schools of shad and fishing around them,” Conner said.

 

Bassmaster Weekend Series – Virginia Division

Sep 29-30, 2012

Kerr / Buggs Island Lake

North Bend State Park

Call Gary Conner – 256-230-5627

www.abaproam.com