ON TOUR
COSTA FLW SERIES
COSTA FLW SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP | LAKE GUNTERSVILLE
GUNTERSVILLE, ALA.
WINNING ANGLER
By Curtis Niedermier
Kyle Walters
Grant-Valkaria, Fla.
Winning Weight:
44-03 (10 fish)
details:
Nov. 1-3, 2018
Presented by Costa
Sunglasses
Hosted by Marshall
County Convention &
Visitors Bureau
K
yle Walters learned some valuable lessons about fish-
ing Lake Guntersville in the fall when he won the T-H
Marine FLW Bass Fishing League Regional there in
2013. For instance, he learned that the fall frog bite is too
hit or miss for him, and a dedicated flipping approach could
win in a multiple-day tournament.
Walters put those lessons to use again in early November,
at the 2018 Costa FLW Series Championship on Lake
Guntersville. The custom homebuilder from Grant-Valkaria,
Fla., caught two limits that totaled 44 pounds, 3 ounces to
win the weather-shortened two-day championship and qual-
ify for the 2019 FLW Cup.
In both of his postseason wins, Walters focused on a
stretch of main-river grass beds around the BB Comer
Bridge on Guntersville’s upper end. It’s the stretch of the
reservoir that starts to transition back into a riverine fishery.
The main channel courses along next to a shallow ridge for
miles. Grass mats atop the ridge create ample bass habitat,
with a shallow ditch on the backside of the ridge providing
a route for bass to transition in and out of the grass mats
from backwaters and the main channel.
The area of the lake Walters fished is a well-known com-
munity hole that received a lot of pressure on tournament
week from pros fishing the FLW event, local anglers and
WINNING BAITS
68
Walters punched with two beaver-
style baits, including a black and
blue/green pumpkin Gambler Stinger.
Other tackle included a 7-foot, 11-inch
Halo TI Series rod, 75-pound-test Halo
Winch braided line, a 4/0 Gamakatsu
Super Heavy Cover Flippin’ Hook and 1
1/2-ounce Picasso tungsten sinker.
flWfIshInG.com I WInter 2019