With first place points in two of the first four tournaments in the 2011 Greene Boat and Motor Team Trail, Jody Wright and James Dyer have taken a solid lead in the points standings for the series on North Carolina and South Carolina lakes.

Fishing with David Fortenberry, James Dyer earned first place points in the Jan. 29 tournament on Lake Wylie. Dyer, of Connelly Springs, N.C., and Wright, of Forest City, N.C., also won the March 5 tournament on Lake Wylie. They finished seventh in the Lake Norman tournament April 23.

“Chris Marshall and Scott Willis will be more than ready to hit the tournament on Lake Wateree Saturday to see if they can regain the lead,” said Brett Collins, tournament director.

Dyer and Wright, a Greene Boat & Motor pro staff member, have a 13-point lead on Marshall and Willis who are tied for second in the standings with Ryan Hinkle and Dan Mullane.

“Wright and Dyer have been rolling right along the past few months. Whether they are teaming up or fishing with alternates these boys have been cashing in,” said Collins who noted that Wright and Dyer are co-owners of “Katch-Her Lures,” makers of jigs, spinnerbaits, and shakey heads. You can check out “Katch-Her Lures” on Facebook.

Fishing has been tough on Lake Wateree recently, but should be getting back to normal by the tournament Saturday, Collins said.

“Fishing was tough on the lake this past weekend with only 13 pounds needed to win the BFL tournament there. But that was probably due to the weather fronts passing through. If we can get some stable weather the rest of this week things should get back to normal by the weekend.”

Collins said the shad spawn is going on, but the bass don’t seem to be interested.

“The shallow bite is what I have been hearing. The water level is normal and the post-spawn pattern should be in full swing Saturday,” he said. “Topwater around docks and points will more than likely play into the winning weight. And the grass bite could be good if the carp are finished spawning.”

Collins said the rising gasoline cost has probably meant the loss of some entries so far this year.

“But, looking at other trails, they seem to be feeling it too. Either way, since we pay back all the entry fee at the championship, that will make somebody happy when they see the amount of cash up for grabs.”

Collins said it is too early to say what the purse will be for the final, but it is certain to be better than last year when $6,000 was paid to first place.

“We’ve been averaging about 40 teams per tournament and more teams are qualified for the championship this year. We’ve been paying a little over $1,600 for first place in the qualifying tournaments, too.”

 

Greene Boat and Motor Team Trail – 2011

Lake Wateree

Dutchman’s Creek Marina & Campground

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Call Brett Collins at 803-413-7521

www.greeneboats.com