“I have fished all my life and I think all fishermen who really love fishing know – you may not be able to put into words – but they have a passion,” said the China Grove, NC, angler who plans to fish the BASS Southern Opens, some of the FLW EverStart schedule, some WalMart BFL tournaments and the new Carolinas Bass Challenge series this year, along with some other local tournaments. “When you go fishing you find something in a day, even if you don’t catch a fish, that makes it worth the effort to get out there.”

And Sims knows that perhaps a lot better than most.

Diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2007, he has undergone successful treatment and has been cancer free for 4 ½ years.

“I’ve had my demons since then,” he confessed, “but I will reach the five-year mark this June 19 – and when you go cancer free for five years you are considered cured.”

Although he still suffers from side effects of the treatment, Sims said he has never been without the support of his family or lost his passion for fishing.

“Sometimes you need just that little extra something that pushes you and sometimes when I need a push that passion pushes me,” he said.

At the beginning of the year Sims made a wish list of the tournaments he really wants to fish. He started out with the BASS Southern Open on Florida’s Harris Chain of Lakes last month but the No. 1 wish on his list is to fish the FLW EverStart tournament on Lake Guntersville the first week in May.

“I’ll be fishing what I can afford to do, so we will see how it goes,” Sims said. “But starting this weekend, I will be fishing almost every weekend this year. When they call Boat. No. 17 Saturday morning my season will be underway.”

On Saturday the first tournament in the North Carolina Division of the new Carolina’s Bass Challenge series will be held on Lake Norman and the opener could prove to be an exciting one, according to tournament director Brett Collins.

“Fishing has been excellent the past few weeks and word is the state record spot, almost 7 pounds, was caught this past week,” Collins said. The spotted bass, which weighed 6.97 pounds, was caught Sunday and weighed on state certified scales at The General Store of Denver. The fish fell for a mustard-colored Rapala DT6 crankbait fished over a boat ramp.

North Carolina fish biologists plan to take DNA samples to determine if the fish is a true spotted bass or a hybrid. If it is a hybrid it would not qualify for inclusion in the state record listings. But, if it is a true spotted bass, it would eclipse the record of 6 pounds, 5 ounces, set by guide and tournament angler Eric Weir of Belmont, N.C., the day after Christmas in 2003. Weir caught his record spotted bass on a Zoom Finesse Worm.

After an unseasonably warm winter, a recent cold snap has Lake Norman almost back to normal for this time of year, Sims said.

“Before this latest cold snap I had not seen the water temperature down in the 40s yet. In the afternoons you could find 55-degree water and before the cutoff last week I saw bass up trying to make beds. But now the lake is about where it should be.”

The problem facing anglers, Sims said, is that the bass are relating to shad almost totally, which can be a boon if you happen to get on the fish because they will be concentrated.

“But, you can go one day and catch 16 pounds, then go back the next day and not see a fish because the bait has moved. I think whoever finds the bait has a real chance of knocking a good sack of fish,” he said.

“I’d almost guarantee a 15- to 20-pound sack for first place and it could be even better than that, even with the weather change. The weights have been up in recent tournaments, from what I have heard. I heard there was a 20-pound sack brought in that was caught on a jerkbait, but the next week the weight was down to 13 or 14 pounds.”

Although The Alabama Rig® has caught fire on Lake Norman and surrounding waters, Dims said he believes the winning weight Saturday will come on a jerkbait.

“Jerkbaits seem to be the predominant producer for the better fish and they always have been this time of year for me,” he said.

Sims will be fishing to win Saturday, but if he does not bring in the heaviest sack of fish, he will consider the day a tremendous success, just like he did when he finished well down in the standing in the Southern Open on the Harris Chain.

“When you are as passionate about fishing as I am and you are standing there the first day of the Southern Open, your hat over your heart listening to the National Anthem, and Roland Martin is standing directly across from you in his boat – not a lot of people can say they have experienced that in their lifetime. So, I am ready to go fishing.”

The Carolinas Bass Challenge is a two-division series promoted by Skeeter Boat dealers Marshall’s Marine in Lake City, S.C., Foothills Marine in Morganton, N.C., and Palmetto Marine in Greenville, S.C.

The schedules for the two divisions include :

North Carolina Division – Feb. 18, Lake Norman, Pinnacle Landing; March 24, Lake Wylie, Ebenezer Park; April 21, Lake Norman, Pinnacle Landing; May 19, Lake Hickory, Whittenburg; June 2, N.C. Divisional Final, High Rock, Tamarac Marina.

South Carolina Division – February 11, Cooper River, Cypress Gardens; Mar 31, Lake Murray, Dreher Island State Park; April 28, Santee Cooper, John C. Land; May 12, Lake Wateree, Clearwater Cove; June 23, S.C. Divisional Final, Lake Wateree, Clearwater Cove.

The Carolinas Bass Challenge Championship will be held on Kerr Lake October 27, 2012.

The entry fee is $200 per team and each team member must pay a $35 membership fee. First place in each qualifying tournament is $5,000, with $1,000 for big fish. Teams may fish three of four qualifiers in a state division to make the Divisional Final and Championship or they may fish a combination of three qualifiers across divisions and make the Division Final and Championship. The team that wins the points in each state division will win $1,000.

The winning team at both the South Carolina Division Final and the North Carolina Division Final will win a Skeeter TZX190/150 with a Yamaha 150HPDI. The winning team in the Championship on Kerr Lake in October will win a Skeeter ZX200/200 Yamaha SHO.

 

Carolina’s Bass Challenge – North Carolina Division

Sat, Feb 18, 2012

Lake Norman

Pinnacle Access

Brett Collins 803-413-7521

www.carolinasbasschallenge.com