Williams whips field

Taylorsville angler wins Weekend Series event

Clayton “Mark” Williams of Taylorsville topped the 38-man field at the April 21 Bassmaster Weekend Series tournament on High Rock Lake with a five-fish catch of 22.31 pounds that included a 6.86-pound bass, the big fish of the day.

Williams, who received $1,867 for the victory and $175 for big-fish honors, caught most of his fish during the morning, flipping soft-plastics in shallow water.

Derek Cummings, who had recently moved from Michigan to Clayton, didn’t have a working knowledge of High Rock, so he relied on his sight-fishing background to catch 20.1 pounds, good enough for second place and $935.

“I wanted to fish Flat Swamp, but that creek was swarming with boats, so I fished a small creek off the main body,” he said.

Other money winners were: Robert Walser of Lexington, third with 19.34 pounds for $621; Chad Eriksen of Wake Forest, fourth with 15.93 for $436; Mike Miller of Trinity, fifth with 15.26 pounds for $374; Mark Lamb of Wake Forest, sixth with 14.66 pounds for $343; and Stephen McLeod of Clemmons, seventh, with 14.32 pounds for $310.

Charles Bowman of Kernersville finished first among co-anglers with 9.25 pounds, winning $974. Phillip Passmore of Trinity was second with 7.81 pounds and banked $487. Troutman’s Robert Hipps took the third-place prize of $325 with 5.68 pounds.

Donald Griffin of Marshville caught only one fish, a 4.59-pound lunker that was took big-fish honors among the co-anglers, worth $91. He finished fourth overall.

High Rock yielded fish sparingly. Twenty-five of the participants caught fewer than four fish. Of those, 20 weighed fewer than three fish.

Cherry, Lineberger win at Norman

Hank Cherry of Maiden and Shane Lineberger of Lincolnton shared $12,550 in winnings at the April 21 Carolinas Bass Challenge at Lake Norman.

They received $9,550 for first place with 18.35 pounds and an additional $3,000 for big fish with a 7.39-pound bass and for participating in a bonus program.

Eric Jeter and Darren Jeter placed second with 15.29 and received $4,000; they were followed by Bucky Helms and Jason Wilson in third place with 14.30 that paid $2,500. Maurice Freeze of Concord and Pat Tierney of Denver collected $1,800 for their fourth-place finish with 13.99. Randy Childers and Scott Sellars took the fifth-place award of $1,200 with 13.01.

Local teams place in Fishers of Men nationals

Several teams from the NC-Piedmont Division of Fishers of Men received checks at the April 12-14 Fishers of Men National Championship on Tennessee’s Pickwick Lake.

Steve Singleton and A.L. Needham of Asheboro finished fifth with a 3-day haul of 50.54 pounds and shared $3,250.

Kenneth and John Shumate placed eighth with 48.87 pounds and collected $2,000. Others teams in the money were: Dean Collins of Southmont and Ray Furr of Lexington, 23rd with 43.39 pounds for $1,500; Willie Davis and Billy Wright, 24th with 42.91 pounds for $1,000; and Robert Mixon of Lexington and Steve Sink of Winston-Salem, 26th with 37.31 pounds for $1,000.

Collins and Furr earned an additional $500 for the big fish on Day 1 that weighed 8.37 pounds.

Adams scores twice on Lake Norman

Tracy Adams of Wilkesboro topped a field of 40 anglers at the March 24 Bassmaster Weekend Series tournament on Lake Norman, and two weeks later, he won the Bassmaster Southern Open.

In the Weekend Series tournament, Adams’ 5-fish catch totaled 14.08 pounds to take the first-place check of $1,948.

Rob Digh of Denver placed second with 12.83 pounds, collecting $1,158. He also had the big fish of the day, a 4.24-pound bass.

Others placing near the top were: Charles Whitaker of Troutman, third with 12.78 pounds for $649; Kyle Whisenant of Charlotte, sixth with 11.31 for $357; and Duane Rinkus of Denver, seventh with 11.19 for $324.

Statesville’s John Miller placed first among the co-anglers with 7.36 pounds and received $974. Chris Fabrizio of Kernersville was second with 6.14 for $578; he also caught the co-angler big fish, a 2.85-pound bass.

In the Southern Open, Adams took home better than $50,000, leading the tournament wire-to-wire. He had a 20-13 catch on the first day that included a 6-1 bass. He added limits that weighed 13-13 and 10-12 for total of 45-6, a winning margin of almost nine pounds over runnerup Bradley Roy of Lancaster, Ky.

The Southern Open win carried with it an automatic berth in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic.

Two other fishermen from North Carolina finished in the top 10: David Williams of Maiden, third with 35-2 for $13,248 and Pete Bejte of Charlotte, ninth with 29-9 for $4,416. Concord’s Matthew Mcbee of Concord had a 6-5 bass for the big-fish award of $500.

Boyette gains berth in Federation nationals

Brent Boyette of Kenly earned a berth in the 2012 B.A.S.S. Federation Nation Championship at by finishing as the top angler on his state team at the March 28-30 BFN Southern Division tournament on Lake Okeechobee, Fla.

Boyette placed 17th overall in the standings with 40-13. Georgia won the team title, while Florida was second.

The national championship will be Oct. 25-27 on Alabama’s Wheeler Lake.

BASS TOURNAMENTS

Southern Championship Trail

High Rock Lake, March 17

1. Chris Brown-David Wright (Lexington), 23.13, $910; 2. Tony Ravelle-Brandon Rowell, 20.97, $450; 3. Carter Sealy (Lexington)-Derrick Loflin, $190; 4. Randy Weddington-Ronnie Smith (China Grove), $130. Big fish: Mike Kinard-Tony Lambert (Mt. Pleasant), 7.79 pounds, $240.

Lake Tillery, April 14

1. Dwayne Saunders (Star)-Scott Threadgill (Troy), 23.03, $760; 2. Greg Gooch (Troy)-Gary Abbott, 21.65, $360; 3. Nick Nance (Denton)-Doug Nance, 15.89, $140. Big fish: Gooch-Abbott, 6.21 pounds, $180.

Adam & Eve Trail, Badin Lake, April 14

1. Ron Nelson-Carman Nelson, 13-8, $212.50; 2. John Haywood-Samantha Haywood, 12-4, $127.50; 3. Jimmy Sanders-Kathy Sanders, 11-8, $85. Big fish: Sam-Tracy Lemonds, 6-7, $85.

Carolina Anglers Tournament Trail, Yadkin Division

High Rock Lake, March 25

1. Orlando Giles-Tony Waterhouse (Lexington), 22.15, $950; 2. Todd Haines (Concord)-Jeremy Talbert (Albemarle), 15.30, $300; 3. John Barringer (Kannapolis)-Jason Hathcock (Concord), 14.50, $200; 4. Danny-David Hayworth (Kernersville), 14.50, $120. Big fish: Giles-Waterhouse, 6.65 pounds, $161.

Lake Wylie Division, April 7

1. Jim Davis-Terry Roswell, 20.25, and big fish, 5.38 pounds, $860; 2. Brian Huskins-David Winters, 16.92, $335; 3. Keith Porter-Chuck Porter, 14.60, $125.

Fishers of Men Piedmont Division

Lake Wylie, March 24

1. Mark Benge (Rockwell)-Rodney Cozart (Eden), 13.97, $1,08; 2. Kenny Seagle (Salisbury)-Drew Montgomery (Mooresville), 13.96, $826; 3. Stephen Singleton-A.L. Needham (Asheboro), 13.90, $606; 4. Kenneth Shumate-John Shumate, 13.59, $346; 5. James Allred-Clarence Brinkey, 11.90, $288; 6. Steve-Shelton Martin, 11.51, and big fish, 4.78 pounds, $422.

Piedmont Bass Classics

Jordan Lake, March 24

1. Ryan Rigsbee (Apex)-Jack Boyce (Fuquay-Varina), 23.25, $1,140; 2. William Blanton-Billy Zumwalt (Fayetteville), 21.01, $638; 3. William Burns-Jerry Marsburn (Sanford), 20.11, $547; 4. Jeff Jones (Chesapeake, Va.)-Sammy Creech (Kenly), 19.24, $501; 5. Randy Fisher (Hillsborough)-Donnie Lowe (Mebane), 17.89, $412. Big fish: Rigsbee-Boyce, 7.96 pounds, $784.

Kerr Lake, April 14

1. Troy Searcy (Pleasant Garden)-Bryon Welch (Greensboro), 16.55, $1,329; 2. John Herndon (Oxford), 13.87, $819 3. Scott Dunn-Stewart Adams (Four Oaks), 13.85, $604; 4. Tony Fofi-Dave Murdock (Fayetteville), 13.08, $551; 5. Adam Spell-Kenny Spell (Sanford), 12.83, $490. Big fish: Searcy-Welch, 4.33 pounds, $1,036.

Springhill Outfitters Piedmont Bass Classic Open,

Falls Lake, March 31

1. Adam Haithcock-David Ford (Creedmoor), 21.87, $840 plus $250 bonus; 2. Jay Garrard (Durham)-Mark Herndon (Bahama), 21.48, $500; 3. Tony Fofi-Dave Murdock (Fayetteville), 20.31, $360; 4. Wayne Shaw (Cameron)-Reaford Soles (Aberdeen), 18.88, $280; 5. Randy Fisher (Hillsborough)-Donnie Lowe (Mebane), 17.79, $220. Big fish: Garrard-Herndon, 7.98 pounds, $392.

Carolinas Bass Challenge

Lake Wylie, March 24

1. Gerald-David Williams (Maiden), 16.58, $10,000; 2. Ken Fender-Matt Haywood (Lincolnton), 16.30, $4,750; 3. John-Victoria English, 16.07, $3,250; 4. Roger Pope-Michael Smith (Statesville), 15.47, $2,150; 5. Jimmy Bumgarner-Boots Wilson, 14.58, $1,660.

Norman Spring Team Bass Championship Trail, March 11

1. Jason Wilson-Daniel Hedrick, 12.70, and big fish, 4.20 pounds; 2. Chris Myatt-Andrew Shundich, 11.55; 3. Larry-Troy Lehew, 11.20; 4. Jeff-Kelly Johnson, 9.30.

March 17

1. Michael Smith-Roger Pope (Statesville), 15.90, $500; 2. Jeff Johnson-Chuck Poovey (Denver), 15.30, $360; 3. Larry Lehew-Troy Lehew (Charlotte), 15.05, and big fish, 5.55 pounds, $460; 4. Alan Whitaker, 14.50, $120.

Monday Night Tournaments

Lake Norman, March 19

1. Kyle Whisenant (Charlotte)-Mac Lowe (Indian Trail), 13.80, and big fish, 4.40 pounds, $480; 2. Scott Hamrick-Chuck Poovey (Denver), 12.95, $180; (tie) Aaron Miles-Buck Morgan, 12.95, $180; 4. Todd Evans-Chad Schroeder, 11.85, $50.

Lake Norman, April 9

1. Nick Miller-Brandon Brickweg, 15.20, and big fish, 5.00 pounds; 2. Hank Cherry (Maiden)-Shane Lineberger (Lincolnton), 12.75; 3. Matthew-Josh Benge, 11.40; 4. David-Joseph Wheeler, 11.35.

CRAPPIE TOURNAMENTS

Carolina Crappie Association Classic,

Lake Wylie, April 6-7

1. Ed Duke-Keith Manus (Concord), 15.68, $2,600; 2. Milton Dowey-Joe Cantey (Lugoff, S.C.), 15.67, $1,285; 3. Lowell-Betty Cable (Boone), 14.75, $628; 4. David-Phenice Perrel (Germanton), 14-09, $514; 5. Jimmy Perry-Doug Rinehardt, 13.95, $400; 6. Rick Eudy (Concord)-Darren Koontz (Richfield), 13.36, $285. Big fish: Duke-Manus, 1.70 pounds, $350. Points champions: Tom Sprouse (Advance)-Glynn Sharon (Madison), $400.

STRIPED BASS TOURNAMENTS

Tarheel Striper Club

High Rock Lake, March 24

1. J.R. Wilmouth-Jordan Smith (Thomasville), 23.30; 2. Robert Moss (Trinity), 12.50, and big fish, 12.50 pounds; 3. Robert Steele (Lexington)-David Woodward (Charlotte), 9.30.

Lake Tillery, April 21

1. David-Debbie Lucas (Randleman), 23.55; 2. Ronnie Cook-Mike Mize, 20.85; 3. Coy Hamilton (Lexington)-Patrick Hamilton, 15.15; 4. Robert Steele (Lexington)-David Woodward (Charlotte), 13.80; 5. Jay Childress-Blake Phillips-Landon Lancaster, 12.90. Big fish: Steve Shoe-Joe George, 11.10 pounds.