Co-angler steals spotlight in Lay qualifier.

The focus is normally on the boater competition in bass tournaments although occasionally a co-angler creates a buzz with an exceptional catch.

That buzz was palpable Saturday (May 22) on Lay Lake in the final Alabama B.A.S.S. Nation qualifier of 2021. Greg Wray, fishing behind his brother, Keith Wray, brought three hefty Lay largemouth to the scales and ran away with the back-of-the-boat title with 16.34 pounds, the largest weight recorded since the ABN went to a three-fish limit for co-anglers.

Many anglers going through the weigh-in line did a double take when they saw the weight posted on the leaderboard. Only boater winner George Crain – with a five-fish limit – had a heavier overall total in the tournament.

The Wrays also combined to win the team title with 29.80, and Greg Wray, a member of the Tennessee Valley Bass Club who lives near Guntersville, caught the Academy Sports + Outdoors Big Fish with a 6.59 largemouth and added to his limit with another over five pounds and a third over four pounds.

The tournament was fished out of Beeswax Creek Park.

“We made a change,” Wray said. “We hadn’t been throwing the frog. We’ve been throwing Senkos and swim jigs and switched up today. We went strictly to that frog later in the day, actually about mid-morning, and that’s what caught the big fish.”

The Wrays were methodically working a black Spro popping frog in “little pockets off the main river close to deep water.” Wray added that they were “pretty shallow, churning up mud.”

Living near Lake Guntersville, Wray said fishing a frog was something normal for him, but practice didn’t give him any indication it would be productive on Lay. Why did he make the change?

“I just had the frog tied on,” he said, “and got a couple of strikes on it early.  I threw it yesterday and never got a bite.

“I kept throwing in the thick grass. The big fish were in the thickest grass. Two of the big ones were caught within five feet of each other, but they were four hours apart.”

Wray, who said he had caught over 16 pounds in three-fish tournaments on Guntersville, is fishing the ABN tournaments for the first time this year. He said his brother motivated him to fish the circuit, and now they are both qualified as individuals and as a team for the ABN State Championship on Lake Martin in November.

“We’ve fished together for years,” he said. “(Keith) talked me into fishing as a team. It’s a pretty good deal when you get to fish together like this.”

Crain (Lake Tuscaloosa Bassmasters) won over a big field of 110 boaters with 17.54 pounds, easily topping regular Lay Lake winner Coby Carden (LA PO Boys), who had 14.20. C.J. Knight (Marathon Bassmasters) was third with 14.04.

Crain said he caught fish on a variety of baits, including a jig, a beaver, and a frog while fishing upriver near Yellow Leaf.

“I’ve fished the lake on and off for the last 40 years,” said Crain, the former Bassmaster Classic qualifier who lives just up the Coosa River on Logan Martin. He added that he had won “a few (on Lay), but it’s never been a really good lake for me.

“I think I just used every bit of luck I had today, plus my rabbit’s foot, and Coby stumbled just a little bit.”

Following the top three in the boaters standings were Chuck Thurlow (Auburn Bassmasters, 13.80); Allan Glasgow (Lake Tuscaloosa Bassmasters, 13.73); Robbie Pritchard (Alex City Bassmasters, 13.63); Simon Morrow (Out of Place Bassmasters, 13.49); Keith Wray (Tennessee Valley Bass Club, 13.46); Brent Reaves (Alex City Bassmasters, 13.13); and Stephen Ramos (W Alabama Bass Fishermen, 12.71).

Among the co-anglers, Lynn Pritchard (Alex City Bassmasters) put together an impressive string that would have won most tournaments and finished second. He had a three-fish limit that weighed 10.86. Parrish Argo (LA PO Boys) took third with 9.81.

They were followed on the co-angler leaderboard by Allen Oliver (Pro Line Bassmasters, 9.81); Wade Adams (Alex City Bassmasters, 8.35); Tommie Roden (Wiregrass Bassmasters, 8.34); Chris Wiemar (Pipemill Bassmasters, 7.97); Emmanuel Globetti (Alex City Bassmasters, 7.85); Gene Shaw (Team Tackle Box, 7.84); and Emily Glasgow (Lake Tuscaloosa Bassmasters, 7.77).

After the Wrays in the team competition, other qualifiers for the state championship were Robbie Pritchard and Lynn Pritchard; Crain and Jeff Armstrong; Knight and Globetti; Morrow and Oliver; Curtis Coleman and Oliver; and Charles Rosato and Wiemar.

Crain was the top finisher among Fishin’ 4 a Cure participants. ABN competitors pay an extra $25 per tournament to support the organization, and the money goes to help combat childhood diseases at Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham.

Sponsors for ABN events this year include Academy Sports + Outdoors, Airport Marine, Office Partners, Fish Life Fish Care Products, Halo Rods, Radicull Culling Devices, Davis Bait Co., George Paint and Body, Triton Boats, Mercury, Motor Guide, Lowrance, NetBait, Shell, Hammer Rods, Shelby County, StrikeZone Lure Co., Charlie’s BBQ, the Rod Glove, T-H Marine, Power-Pole, and Alabama Hosting.

The ABN season closes with the state championship Nov. 5-6 on Martin. Individuals and teams compete for tournament and Angler of the Year titles. Top individuals make the state team, which advances to regional competition next year. Top teams earn a berth in the B.A.S.S. Nationals on Lake Eufaula in December.

Angler of the Year winners will also be finalized on Martin. After the four qualifiers, Glasgow has a 32-point lead over Dusty Robinson (Wiregrass Bassmasters). Reaves is third. On the co-angler side, Will Dickerson (Wallace State CC) leads by 14 points over Richard White (Alex City Bassmasters). Perennial contender Jonathan Barnette is third.

Greg McCain is a freelance writer with hundreds of credits in various print and digital publications. In addition to producing photos and content for this website, he is a regular contributor to Alabama Outdoor News (AON) magazine, CrappieNow digital magazine, and the ACC Crappie Stix blog. He is a member of the Belgreen Bass Club, an ABN chapter near Russellville.

More photos on Flickr