Charlie Rasch is on a roll in the Morristown Marine Tournament Trail.

Fishing solo, Rasch won the 2010 Morristown Marine Classic last Nov. 13 on Douglas Lake and took home a $30,000 Skeeter-Yamaha bass boat for first prize.

Rasch then teamed with Gary Pilkenton to win the first Morristown Marine Skeeter/Yamaha Elite Series tournament of the 2011 season March 12 on Cherokee Lake. The pair weighed in a limit at 15.89 pounds and won $3,000.

“The bite for that tournament was a little bit off and we did not have a lot of limits weighed in,” said tournament director Sam Phillips. “The wind was blowing really hard then, so we are looking for a little better tournament this weekend.”

Phillips said the Cherokee bass are “turned on” in time for the tournament.

“We’ve had rain here this week, but Saturday there is supposed to be just a few showers and the rain will move out. Hopefully, we will have overcast skies and fishing will be great.”

The area down the lake appears to be the current hot spot and smallmouth bass seem to be the species that are really turned on right now, Phillips said. “We’ve been getting a lot of rain so I am sure it’s muddy up the river and they have been puling water, drawing the lake down, so it seems like the fishing is better from the mid to lower lake where the water is a little more clear. That is where the big bites are coming from,”

Phillips said anglers are catching the bass on crankbaits, jerkbaits and spinnerbaits, that kind of fishing.

“But it won’t be all smallmouth. The bass have not moved up to spawn yet, but they are maybe a week or so away from what I am hearing,” he said.

“We had a real good turnout in the first tournament with 145 teams and there are a lot of anglers out practicing this week for the tournament this weekend,” he said. “We paid back over 100 percent at the ramp the first tournament and we hope to pay back over 100 percent this week, too.”

Phillips noted that first place gets $3,000 and the payback covers one place for every six boats. New for this year, he noted, is the addition of Abu Garcia as a big fish sponsor. Abu Garcia will give several rods to the big fish winners at each tournament.

“And, at the Classic in November, we will give a 2011 Skeeter ZX200 with a new 200 Yamaha SHO 4-stroke engine to the winners,” he added.

Manufacturer bonus programs for the trail include Skeeter Real Money, Stratos Double Your Winnings, Triton Gold, Phoenix First Flight Program and the Morristown Marine Boat Bucks plan.

“In the Morristown Marine Boat Bucks program, if your buy a boat or motor here, new or used, any brand, we will pay an additional $500 on top of what you win,” Phillips said.

Entries are accepted at Morristown Marine the week of the tournament and anglers who sign up by 6

p.m. on Friday get two draws for starting position and can keep the one they want. Entries will also be accepted at Hookers & Hunters Bait and Tackle from 1 to 6 p.m. on Fridays prior to the tournament

After 6 p.m. teams get only one draw for starting position and entries will be accepted at the ramp the morning of the tournament.

The 2011 schedule includes: April 2, Cherokee Lake, Boat Launch Road; April 23, Douglas Lake, TVA Dam; May 14, Cherokee Lake, Boat Launch Road; Sept. 24, Douglas Lake, TVA Dam; Oct. 22, Cherokee Lake, Boat Launch Road; and Nov. 12. Morristown Marine Classic, Cherokee Lake, Boat Launch Road.

 

Morristown Marine Team Trail

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Cherokee Lake

Hamblin County Marina-Boat Launch Road

Contact: Sam Phillips 423-677-3004

www.morristownmarine.com