Co-angler cleans up in muddy water

ROGERS - Stetson Blaylock drew all the right cards this week at the FLW Wal-Mart Open. He played them right, too, and landed his first co-angler title on the FLW Tour.

The pot was worth $40,000 for Blaylock, a 20-year-old homeschooled angler from Benton, who has now won as a co-angler at every level in the FLW system. Even so, Blaylock said he's not ready to fish the pro side just yet. A few more cards have to fall his way before he gets in that game.

"I'm not in any hurry," Blaylock said. "If I get the sponsors that want to promote me and put me out there in the front of the boat, I'd consider it, but I'm not in any hurry."

Blaylock loves fishing in stained, shallow water, and he benefited from the high, muddywater that frustrated many anglers during the week. The conditions were in contrast to the 11 previous FLW Tour stops in Rogers, when Beaver Lake was sometimes high, but always very clear.

Best of all for Blaylock, he teamed with three fishermen who favor his style of fishing. First-round partner Tommy Martin of Hemphill, Texas, is a legend on Toledo Bend Reservoir in Texas. Blaylock fished with an old friend, Rob Kilby of Hot Springs, on the second day,and with Sam Newby of Pocola, Okla., on the third day.

"I was fortunate enough to draw guys that flipped muddy water all day, every day, and that just happened to be how I like to fish," Blaylock said. "There really weren't any highlights. I'd catch one here, one there, and when I got my five, I'd think, wow, it took me all day, but I finally got them. Today, I got five bites all day, and I was fortunate enough to get them in the boat."

Blaylock already qualified for the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup at Columbia, S.C., by virtue of winning the FLW Series East-West Shootout at Lake Amistad in February. That relieves a lot of pressure and allows him to enjoy fishing.

"That's a huge deal, and that's part of the reason why I am where I am today," Blaylock said. "I don't have to worry about catching just enough fish to make a check or just to qualify. If you worry about money while you're fishing tournaments, you don't do as good. I did it for a whole year, and you don't do as good."

His only goal now, other than winning the co-angler title at the Forrest Wood Cup, is winning the Co-Angler of the Year title.

"I just have to be consistent," Blaylock said. "As a co-angler, if it's meant to happen, it'll happen. I could go to the next tournament and zero both days, and then I'm out of it."

As it's meant to do, FLW's co-angler division is producing a stable of talented young anglers who may someday make their marks as pros. Of the 10 who made the co-angler final at Beaver Lake, five were from Arkansas. Blaylock said that's no accident.

"Spencer Shuffield, Kevin Koone, they're always right there," Blaylock said. "There's so many good fishermen, it's just hard to win Angler of the Year. I know all these guys. I fish with them at home as well as in tournaments, and they're all really good fishermen, and they've learned from the best. Spencer Shuffield's dad (Ron Shuffield) is one of the best there is. They've learned from the best."

For this tournament, Blaylock was the best. Clearly the best.