Cherry makes Classic field

Win in Alabama is Maiden angler’s trump card

Hank Cherry of Maiden has received a last-minute invitation to the 2013 Bassmaster Classic by winning the Bassmaster Southern Open on Alabama’s Lewis Smith Lake by one ounce.

Cherry’s catch of 38-13 also paid $5,690 in cash, plus a fully-rigged Nitro bass boat.

Shane Lineberger of Lincolnton placed 14th with 21-3 and collected $2,384. Thomasville’s George Lambeth finished 29th with 17-10 and won $2,086.

Carson Orellana of Mooresville took first place among the co-anglers and received $35,000.Co-angler George Hirapetian of Charlotte ranked 27th with 8.9 and banked $417.20.

Forest City angler cashes in at Kerr

Chris Marshall of Forest City topped the field at the Oct. 11-13 BFL Regional tournament on Kerr Lake with 37 pounds, eight ounces.

Marshall won a fully-rigged Ranger bass boat a Chevy 1500 Silverado, and he qualified for the 2013 BLF All-American, along with 11 other fishermen, in the two-day event.

Spencer Barrow of Snow Hill placed second with 37-6 and earned $1,500. Concord’s Maurice Freeze took third place and $1,100 with 33-12; Robert Walser of Lexington was fourth with 33-9, banking $1,000; and Dennis Reedy of Siler City finished sixth with 32-13 for $800.

Barrow, Freeze, Walser and Reedy also qualified for the All-American.

Two other fishermen from North Carolina finished in the top 10: Michael Belter of Reidsville, seventh with 29-15 for $700, and Shane Burns of Durham, 10th with 27-6 for $550.

John Cook of Matthews was the top finisher among co-anglers with 27-1, winning a fully-rigged Ranger boat and a spot in the All-American. Eddie Cook of Clemmons was second with 26-11 and won $750. He also won a berth in the All-American.

Stuart Toney of Raeford had a top-10 finish, taking home ninth with 14-6, worth $300.

Lexington anglers finish second, third at High Rock

Chris Baldwin and James Blankenship, both from Lexington, finished second and third at the Sept. 21-22 BFL North Carolina Division Super Tournament on High Rock Lake.

Baldwin took home $2,302 for his two-day catch of 33-1. Blankenship caught 31-10 to win $1,536.

Miles Burghoff of Orlando, Fla., a stranger to High Rock, shocked the field by bringing in a winning haul of 36-9 to take the first-place prize of $4,604.

Greg Deal of China Grove topped the co-anglers with 23-5 and collected $2,302 plus $270 for big fish with a 4-pound, 9-ounce bass. Brad Wright of Granite Falls was second with 20-6 for $1,151; Chip Crews of Thomasville was third with 17-13 for $767; Cody Norman of Elkin was fourth with 16-2 for $537, and Gurney Hoffman of Richlands rounded out the top five with 15-10 for $460.

Inman wins at Kerr Lake

Larry Inman of Greensboro won the Sept. 8-9 BFL Piedmont Division Super Tournament on Kerr Lake with 29-13, good for $3,821 for first place and a $2,000 Ranger Cup bonus.

James Wall of Greensboro was second with 27-1, winning $1,911. Chris Baldwin of Lexington was third with 25-7, taking home $1,273. Brandon Gray of Bullock and Doug Washburn of Chapel Hill rounded out the top five with 24-9 and 21-14, respectively, for checks of $892 and $764.

George Boyce of Fuquay-Varina placed first among the co-anglers with 16-12 and collected $1,911. Dean Majors and Trevor Holman took second and third with 14-2 and 11-4, respectively, worth $637 to Boyce and $446 to Holman. Hubert Roman of Lexington was fifth with nine pounds, winning $382, plus another $199 for his 3-6 bass that was co-angler big fish.

Two North Carolina teams qualify for FOM nationals

Charles Goff and Bobby Clarke of North Carolina East placed third at the Sept. 21-22 Fishers of Men East Regional on Lake Erie with 36.79 pounds. Kenneth and John Shumate of North Carolina Piedmont placed fifth with 33.99 pounds.

Both teams qualified for the May 16-17 FOM Stren Team Series National Championship on Georgia’s Clarks Hill Reservoir.

BASS TOURNAMENTS

Yadkin Team Tournament,

High Rock Lake, Oct. 20

1. Randy Weddington-Ronnie Smith (China Grove), 21.30, $386; 2. Thomas Ludwick-Thomas File (Salisbury), 19.29, $200; 3. Chris Brown (Lexington), 18.43, $85. Big fish: Brown, 5.34 pounds, $71.50.

Southern Championship Trail,

Lake Tillery, Sept. 29

1. Scott Threadgill (Troy)-Jason Threadgill (Albemarle), 18.07, $560 and points championship, $1,000; 2. Buzz Dunlap (Mt. Gilead)-Pete Morris (Troy), 16.13, $210. Big fish: Ronnie McBride-Joe Reynolds, 4.14 pounds, $110.

SCT Championship,

Tillery/Tuckertown,

Oct. 20-21

1. Greg Gooch (Troy)-Gary Abbott (Biscoe), 15.51/16.95, total of 32.46, $1,500; 2. Scott Threadgill (Troy)-Jason Threadgill (Albemarle), 10.60/16.72, total weight, 27.32, $500. Big fish: Mike Kinard-Tony Lambert (Mt. Pleasant), 5.96 pounds at Tillery, $200.

Adam & Eve Trail,

Badin Lake, Oct. 20

1. Bruce Bowman-Stephanie Bowman, 13-08, $162.50; 2. John Haywood-Samantha Haywood, 10-06, $97.50; 3. Neil McDonald-Pat McDonald, 9-14, $65. Big fish: Bruce Bowman-Stephanie Bowman, 4-6, $65. Season champions: Ron Nelson-Carman Nelson, 77-14, $110.

Carolina Anglers Fall/Winter Trail

North Division, High Rock Lake, Sept. 30

1. Dwayne Hughes-Chuck Hughes, 18.11 pounds, $2,960; 2. Jerry Davis-Gerald Beck (Lexington), 16.42 and big bass, 6.35 pounds, $1,176; 3. David Wright-Chris Brown (Lexington), 15.61, $580; 4. Billy Marshall (Southmont)-Keith Davis (Denton), 14.85, $250; 5. Randy Weddington-Ronnie Smith (China Grove ), 14.55, $130.

High Rock Lake, Oct. 6

1. Howard Bean (Salisbury)-Brian Goble, 23.25, and big fish, 5.91 pounds, $748; 2. Randy Weddington-Ronnie Smith (China Grove), 18.15, $200.

High Rock Lake, Oct. 13

1. Derek Tolley (Winston-Salem)-Brad Nelson (Concord), 19.35, $500; 2. Randy Weddington-Jackie Reilly (China Grove), 17.25, and big fish, 4.85 pounds, $668; 3. Tracy Adams-Mike Simpson (N. Wilkesboro), 16.85, $125.

Carolina Anglers Fall/Winter Trail

South Division, Badin Lake, Oct. 7

1. Darrell Crumbley-Jason Riggs (Lexington), 20.04, $390; 2. Scott Threadgill (Troy)-Jason Threadgill (Albemarle), 18.15, and big fish, 6.05 pounds, $35.

Lake Tillery, Oct. 14

1. Gary Abbott (Biscoe)-Greg Gooch (Troy), 14.21, and big fish, 3.91 pounds, $370.

JB Custom Rods Piedmont Bass Classic

Shearon Harris Lake, Sept. 23

1. Todd Sumner (Southern Pines)-Richard Greene (Laurinburg), 17.80, $640; 2. Scott Mooneyham (Fayetteville)-Curtis Bourne (Raleigh), 10.17, $385; 3. Chad Craven (Raleigh)-Tommy Farley (Colonial Heights, Va.), 10.05, $255. Big fish: Monneyham-Bourne, 6.35 pounds, $210.

Falls of the Neuse Lake, Sept. 30

1. Chad Craven (Raleigh)-Tommy Farley (Colonial Heights, Va.), 20.52, $500; 2. Tony Woodard (Four Oaks)-Scott Smith (Apex), 15.16, $140. Big fish: Craven-Farley, 6.29 pounds, $112.

Shearon Harris Lake, Oct. 7

1. Rick Ohlson-Joey Davis (Garner), 15.70, $575; 2. Jerry Marshburn (Sanford)-Allan Parker (Linden), 15.66, $305. Big fish: Marshburn-Parker, 7.23 pounds, $154.

Jordan Lake, Oct. 14

1. Chad Craven (Raleigh)-Tommy Farley (Colonial Heights, Va.), 10.71, $575; 2. Hal Abshire (Cameron)-Ethan Cox (West End), 6.74, $305. Big fish: Abshire-Cox, 3.92 pounds, $154.

Power Swain Chevy Team Tournament,

Jordan Lake, Oct. 20

1. Dave Murdock (Fayetteville)-Tony Fofi (Spring Lake), 14.51, and big fish, 7.01; 2. Roger Baylous-Westley Riddle (Sanford), 13.87; 3. Hal Abshire (Cameron)-Ethan Cox (West End), 7.18.

STRIPED BASS TOURNAMENTS

Tarheel Striper Club, Lake Hickory, Oct. 13

1. Mark Unrue-David Wilburn (Asheboro), 17.15; 2. Robert Moss (Trinity), 126.55, and big fish, 9.25 pounds; 3. Jerry Hill (Lexington), 14.3; 4. JR Wilmouth-Jordan Smith (Thomasville), 13.55; 5. Robert Steele (Lexington)-David Woodward (Charlotte), 13.35; 6. Bobby-Joe Garner, 13.2; 7. Mike Hill-Jeff Moore, 11.1.

CRAPPIE TOURNAMENTS

Southern Crappie Trail, High Rock Lake, Sept. 13

1. Denny Potts (Mocksville)-Brian Shore (State Road), 9.29, and big fish, 1.81-pound crappie, $315.