Former FLW Tour pro Robert Walser of Lexington, N.C. tied the all-time record for BFL victories over the weekend when he caught a 21-13 sack to win a North Carolina Division event at High Rock Lake. His triumph equaled the mark of 13 wins held by Ohio's Dick Shaffer.
It was Walser's second BFL win this year – he claimed one at Kerr Lake in April. He also won twice in 2018 at Lake Norman and Lake Jordan.
He's spent two 2-year stints on the Tour – 1996-'97 and 2007-'08. He also won an FLW Series event at Kerr in 1999.
“I caught my fish flipping docks with a [Zoom] Z Craw and Z Hogs,” said Walser, who earned $6,141 for his victory. “The Garmin Panoptix allowed me to see the brush under the docks – some had it and some didn’t, but it was nice to know where it was when I was flipping. I rotated through three colors, which were darker colors and green-pumpkins. My bait choice depended on the water color and sky conditions.
“I primarily fished mid-lake, which encompassed five of the creeks I fished,” continued Walser. “The water was low enough where you could get under the bridges, which hasn’t happened in a while. That allowed me to spread out a bit more.”
Walser fished an 8-foot Lamiglas 806 flipping stick with a Pflueger Supreme XT Low Profile casting reel, spooled with 20-pound-test Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon line. He flipped with a 5/16-ounce Eco Pro tungsten weight with a 3/0-sized Berkley Fusion19 Superline EWG hook.
“I caught at least three to four limits out there, and had my first five in the boat before 9 [a.m.].
