In one of the most dramatic finishes in recent FLW Tour history, fourth-year FLW Tour pro Brian Latimer of Belton, South Carolina, brought a five-bass limit to the scale weighing 21 pounds, 3 ounces to win the FLW Tour at Lake Seminole presented by Costa Sunday and the first-place prize of $100,000.
Latimer’s four-day total of 20 bass totaling 80 pounds, 15 ounces edged out Day One leader Braxton Setzer of Montgomery, Alabama (78-14), who finished second and 21-year-old pro Sheldon Collings of Grove, Oklahoma (76-2), in third place.
All day long Latimer, Setzer and Collings traded blows, landing one big one after another much to the thrill of the thousands of viewers that tuned in to watch the day’s action on FLW Live. As the broadcast came to an end at 2 p.m. Latimer was in third place, but only had three bass in his livewell. Latimer added two more keepers late in the day to overtake Setzer and Collings and earned the South Carolina pro his first career victory.
“I have fished for so long, and I always knew that I could do this,” an emotional Latimer said on the weigh-in stage. “I didn’t do well, for a long time. This is not an easy sport. But I knew I could do it, and I kept going. All I’ve ever wanted to do was fish for a living. To win the $100,000 is great, but to finally have my trophy… that is so awesome.”
Latimer caught his fish on Day One Thursday by cranking a current seam in the Flint River with a Bill Lewis MR-6 crankbait, bringing a solid limit weighing 19-1 to the scale. Friday, he caught a few fish cranking, but the majority came from a run down the river to a flat with isolated clumps of grass. He scrapped up a limit weighing 17-11, then decided to stick it out on the flat for the final two days of competition, weighing in 23-0 and 21-3 to slam the door and earn the win.
“Friday is when I figured out that I was on the winning school of fish,” Latimer said. “I did the majority of my damage at a big hydrilla and milfoil flat. I told my wife that if I can get five bites there, every day, I could win this tournament. I stuck it out there, and that’s what happened.
Latimer’s one-two punch on the flat was flipping a Texas-rigged Z-Man Palmetto Bugz with a 1/2-ounce weight or finessing them out with a wacky-rigged Zoom Trick Worm.
“It was stressful – probably the most stressful thing that I have ever been through,” said Latimer. “I lost quite a few fish this week, but I kept my composure. I wasn’t getting many bites. I had to stay focused, and I’m just so blessed that I caught what I did.
The top 10 pros on Lake Seminole finished:
- Brian Latimer, Belton, S.C., 20 bass, 80-15, $102,500
- Braxton Setzer, Montgomery, Ala., 17 bass, 78-14, $30,200
- Sheldon Collings, Grove, Okla., 20 bass, 76-2, $25,100
- Rapala pro Terry Bolton, Benton, Ky., 20 bass, 72-6, $20,000
- Rob Kilby, Hot Springs, Ark., 20 bass, 62-14, $19,000
- Scott Martin, Clewiston, Fla., 20 bass, 62-10, $18,000
- Miles Howe, San Juan Capistrano, Calif., 19 bass, 59-6, $17,000
- Bradford Beavers, Summerville, S.C., 17 bass, 55-8, $16,500
- Joshua Weaver, Macon, Ga., 16 bass, 51-1, $15,000
- Hunter Freeman, Monroe, La., 15 bass, 49-2, $14,000
Complete results for the entire field can be found at FLWFishing.com.
