James Blankenship of Lexington won the April 9 Walmart BFL Piedmont Division tournament on Jordan Lake with a 5-fish limit weighing 26 pounds, nine ounces. First place was worth $3,246 for Blankenship.
Richard Szezerbala of Apex took the second-place prize of $1,713 with 25-0. Greensboro’s David Farrington had 24-02 for third place and $1,141. Fred Harris of Raleigh ranked fourth with 20-11 and banked $799. Brad Staley of Pleasant Garden placed fifth with 20-8 and earned $685.
Completing the the top 10 were: Mike Miller of Sophia and Wayne Hauser of Mooresville, tied for sixth with 20 pounds and $599 each; Billy Bledsoe of Fayetteville, eighth, with 18-14 that paid $457; and Flash Butts of Roanoke Rapids, 10th, with 18-10 that paid $400, plus a bonus of $1,000 from Evinrude.
Eddie Daniels of Clayton took the big-fish prize of $430 with a 7-pound, 15-ounce bass.
Raleigh’s Chris Davis topped the co-anglers with 17-12 and won $1,713. Orlando Giles of Lexington was second with 16-15, winning $856; Tom Holt of Cornelius was fourth with 12-12 for $400; and Paul Reich of Sanford was fifth with 12-0 for $343.
The co-angler big-fish prize of $215 went to Bud Amend of Pleasant Garden for his 7-pound, 3-ounce bass.
Adams banks BASS check
Tracy Adams of Wilkesboro placed third in the March 24-26 Bassmaster Southern Open at Lake Norman.
Adams’ 3-day haul of 15 bass that weighed 40 pounds, 14 ounces, was worth $14,917.
Oakboro’s Ron Wolfarth finished sixth with 38 pounds and collected $9,547.
Other North Carolina fishermen finishing in the money were: Wayne Hauser of Mooresville, 13th, with 24-4 for $3,580; Maurice Freeze of Concord, 21st with 22-12 for $2,446; Jordan Cord of Cary, 25th with 22-3 for $2,208; Craig Chambers of Charlotte, 27th with 21-15, for $2,088, and Bucky Helms of Dallas, 39th with 20-4, winning $1,521.
Charlotte’s George Hirapetian finished second among co-anglers with 18-7 and banked $4,773. Ethan Cox of West End was sixth with 14-14 and won $1,790.
N.C. anglers cash at Gaston
Fishermen from North Carolina took seven of the top eight places at the April 9 Bassmaster Weekend Series Virginia Division 19 tournament on Lake Gaston.
Larry Parker of Angier led the Tarheel State entries with 12.57 pounds to take the second-place prize of $1,036. Wallace Perry of Scotland Neck was third with 12.19 pounds, winning $691. Wesley Cashwell of Rocky Mount and Jeffrey Little of Kernersville rounded out the top five with 11.98 and 11.86 pounds, respectively, for checks of $483 and $414.
Rodney Sorrell of Stokesdale took seventh with 10.55 pounds that paid $345, and Benjie Godbolt of Macon finished eighth with 10.28 pounds and had the big fish, a 5.44-pound bass, that paid $195.
Kernersville’s Chris Fabrizio topped co-anglers with 6.98 pounds, a catch anchored with a 4.73-pound bass, big fish among the co-anglers. He received $1,134.
Co-angler Fred Hill of Roxboro placed fourth with 5.83 pounds and collected $242.
Wilks, Golden score twice
Dustin Wilks of Rocky Mount and Pat Golden of High Point each cashed checks at two Bassmaster Elite Series events in April.
At Alabama’s Pickwick Lake the first week of April, Wilks finished 40th with 44-12 for $10,000, and Golden was 50th with 38-5, good for $5,000.
At Toledo Bend Lake in Louisiana the next week, Wilks was 36th with 39-8 and Golden was 45th with 36-4. Both won $10,000.
Also at Pickwick, Dave Wolak of Wake Forest finished 15th with 51-9 and won $10,000.
Digh is winner at Norman
Rob Digh of Denver won the March 26 Basssmaster Weekend Series District 6 tournament at Lake Norman with 12.78 pounds, collecting $2,320.
His winning catch included the big fish of the day, a 4.04-pound bass.
Chad Eriksen of Raleigh placed second with 12.51 pounds, good for $1,055. Wendell Ireland of Saluda ranked third with 12.07 pounds, winning $703.
Other North Carolina fishermen finishing in the money were: Robert Walser of Lexington, fifth with 11.14 pounds for $422; Ronnie Britt of St. Pauls, sixth with 10.84 pounds for $387; John Snider of Monroe, seventh with 10.74 pounds for $352; and Doug Easton of Huntersville, eighth with 10.31 pounds for $317.
Steve Cannon of Wilkesboro placed first among the co-anglers with 7.31 pounds, thanks to 4.10-pound bass, the co-angler big fish of the day. He earned $1,160.
Jonathon Cone of Wilmington finished second with 5.92 pounds for $528. Chad Schroeder of Dallas took the fifth-place prize of $211 with 5.60 pounds. Robbie Lane of Granite Falls received $176 for his seventh-place catch of 5.32 pounds, and Jim Britt of St. Pauls banked $158 for his eighth-place catch of 5.19 pounds.
BASS TOURNAMENTS
Yadkin Team Tournaments
High Rock Lake, April 2
1. Bobby Lovings (Salisbury)-Dwight Morgan (Gold Hill ), 16.49, $415; 2. Tom File-Thomas Ludwick (Salisbury), 14.22, $239; 3. Danny Lawson (Advance)-Michael Burgess (Walnut Cove), 13.96, $110; 4. Tony Garitta-Shane Floyd (Lexington), 13.67, $90. Big fish: Brad Peyton (Salisbury)-Chuck Huffman (Elon), 6.07 pounds, $91.
High Rock Lake, April 23
1. Marty Williams (Thomasville)-Rod Poole (Salisbury), 19.46, $562; 2. Todd Shoaf (Linwood)-Justin Goodyear (Thomasville), 18.05, $300; 3. John-Mitch Drew (Gold Hill), 17.21, $194; 4. Chris Brown (Lexington), 16.32, $120; 5. Tom File-Thomas Ludwick (Salisbury), 16.18, $105. Big fish: Shoaf-Goodyear, 5.78 pounds, $136.50.
Southern Championship Trail
Tuckertown Lake, April 2
1. Phil-Wayne Lawson (Ramseur), 19.96, $730; 2. Buzz Dunlap (Mt. Gilead)-Pete Morris (Troy), 18.66, $330; 3. Andy Nix-Carty Sealy (Lexington), 15.93, $130. Big fish: Jeff Proctor-Darien Crumbley (High Point), 5.71 pounds, $170.
Adam & Eve Trail
Badin Lake, April 9
1. Bob Jennett-Mary Jennett (Kernersville), 26-07, $325; 2. Jimmy Marsh-Jenny Marsh, 17-02, $195; 3. Ricky Clark-Sherry Clark, 13-00, $130. Big fish: Jennett-Jennett, 6-1, $130.
American Bass Anglers
N.C. Division 14 West
Tuckertown Lake, March 6
1. Timothy Toomey, 17.13, $303; 2. John Russell, 16.44, $137. Big fish: Richard Scott Henley: 5.96 pounds, $50.
Badin Lake, March 20
1. Richard Scott Henley, 24.88, $405; 2. Cliff Kirby, 13.09, $228; David Hayworth (Kernersville), 12.39, $71. Big fish: Henley, 6.40 pounds, $80.
Fishers of Men
Lake Wylie, April 16
1. Chris Carroll-Tim Chapman (Kings Mountain), 15.88, $1,289; 2. Brad Carpenter-Brent Shytles, 14.16, $598; 3. Allen Snyder-Robert Hunt, 13.28, $468; 4. Rodney Cozart (Rockwell)-Mitch Drew (Gold Hill), 12.99, $400; 5. Stephen-Bradley Singleton, 12.82, $332; 6. Marty-Dusty Nester (Mt. Airy), 12.16, $311; Eddie Caudill-Frank Denny, 12.13, $230. Big fish: Gary Payne-Jeff Easter, 4.48 pounds, $222.
N.C. Division 15 East
Pamlico/Tar rivers, March 6
1. Lawrence S. Thomas, 11.70, $388; 2. Jimmy R. Matthews, 11.59, and big bass, 4.10 pounds, $276; 3. Don R. Morris, 9.94, $71.
N.C. Division 16 Piedmont
1. Jeremy Sabo, 12.70, $663; 2. Richard Szczerbala (Apex), 11.83, $417; 3. Wayne Miles Jr., 11.73, and big bass, 5.39 pounds, $346; 4. John Kines, 10.14, $136; 5. Johnny Richard, 10.14, $104.
N.C. Division 17 Central
Pamlico River, March 26
1. Don Morris, 13.04, $488; 2. Jimmy Matthews, 12.58, and big bass, 4.90 pounds, $395; 3. Joseph Beall Sr., 12.08, $97.
Piedmont Bass Classics
Jordan Lake, March 27
1. Tony Fofi (Spring Lake)-Dave Murdock (Fayetteville), 21.91, $625; 2. Ryan-Paul Rigsbee (Apex), 21.04, $335. Big fish: Fofi-Murdock, 7.71 pounds, $168.
Falls of the Neuse, April 2
1. Steven Woodlief (Wake Forest)-Ted Boyette (Kenly), 26.10, $1,248; 2. William Small (Creedmoor)-Lee Williams (Durham), 19.20, $780; 3. Paul-Russell Rigsbee (Timberlake), 15.37, $520; 4. Mark Herndon (Bahama)-Jay Garrard (Durham), 14.15, $468; 5. Scott Gatton (Cary)-Jamie Baynard (Clayton), 14.09, $416; 6. Billy Bledsoe- Henry Thomason (Fayetteville), 13.71, $364; 7. Claiborn Cox-Mike Carden (Timberlake), 12.55, $312; 8. Geno McCree-Phillip Johnson (Durham), 11.81, $250; 9. Tony Fofi (Spring Lake)-Dave Murdock (Faytteville), 11.73, $208; 10. Bobby Houser (Raleigh)-Mike Stephenson (Durham), 11.18, $208; 11. Richard Linton-Marc Peck (Pikeville), 10.14, $156; 12. Jesse Soles -Ron White (Aberdeen ), 10.08, $156; 13. Chip Baty (Linden)-Doug Farr (Fayetteville), 9.63, $104. Big fish: Woodlief-Boyette, 7.42 pounds, $840.
Falls of the Neuse Open Tournament, April 9
1. Dale Bolick-Johnny Ellis (Wendell), 20.83, $700; 2. William Blanton-Gary Sellers (Fayetteville), 19.15, $390; 3. Jay Garrard (Durham)-Mark Herndon (Bahama), 15.77, $250; 4. Matt-Mark Harrison (Creedmoor), 15.04, $100. Big fish: The Harrisons, 5.27 pounds, $252.
Adult-Youth Future’s Bass Trail
Falls of the Neuse, April 9
1. Thomas Clifton-Jeff Clifton (Rolesville), 10.15, $140. Big fish: Sydney Allred-Lee Allred (Youngsville), 5.81 pounds, $20.
Kerr Lake, April 16
1. Thomas Clifton-Jeff Clifton (Rolesville), 4.70, $80.
Fishing for a Prayer Benefit
High Rock Lake, April 9
1. Justin Goodyear (Thomasville)-Chad Poteat (Mt. Airy), 26.22, $1,000; 2. Joey Musgrave (Southmont)-Jeff Young, 23.48, $500; 3. Michael-Jacob Coley, 223-04, $250; 4. John Barringer-Jason Hathcock (Concord), 20.66, $150; 5. Jeremi Beathy-Rob Wright, 20.36, $110. Big fish: The Coleys, 7.26 pounds, $330.
CRAPPIE TOURNAMENTS
Southern Crappie Trail Classic
Lake Hartwell, S.C., April 8- 9
1. Ellis Cannon-Jon Cannon, (Chapin, S.C.), 25.32, $3,000; 2. Randy Pope-Steve Dietz (Hickory), 23.96, $1,000; 3. Steve Deason (Gray, Ga.)-Dennis Outlaw (Camden, S.C.), 22.82, $500; 4. Leonard Frick-Lewis Marshall (Leesville, S.C.), 21.44, $300; 5. Devin Brothers (Central, S.C.)-Chris Yonce (Anderson, S.C.), 18.76, $200. Big fish: Ricky Willis (Gray, S.C.), 2.56 pounds, $350.
STRIPED BASS TOURNAMENTS
Tarheel Striper Club
Lake Tillery, April 2
1. Robert Steele-David Woodward, 25.00; 2. Bobby-Joe Garner-Tony Lund, 20.65; 3. Steve Blake-Mark Cyphers, 10.65; 4. Jerry Hill, 9.90; 5. Steve Shoe-Steven Faucette, 7.30; 6. Johnny Young-Janet Bonner, 7.15.
SCHEDULES
2011-2012 Southern Crappie Tournament Trail
Contact: www.southerncrappie.com
Oct. 22, High Rock, Nov. 5, Jordan Lake, Nov.19, Lake Oconee, Ga., Dec. 17, Lake Watereee, S.C., Jan. 4, Stumpy Pond, S.C., Feb. 24-25, Lake Greenwood, S.C., March 17, Clarks Hill, Ga./S,C., April 13-14, High Rock Lake for Classic.
Tony Garitta of Lexington is a retired English instructor and an avid bass fisherman. He writes a weekly fishing column for the Lexington Dispatch. In his spare time, he can be found catching bass at Tuckertown and High Rock lakes; he holds the lake record at High Rock.
Be the first to comment