The Anglers Choice Invitational Tournament Trail moves to High Rock Lake near Lexington, N.C, Saturday for the second tournament of the 2015 season under the new single-division, two classics format.

“When we joined the B.A.S.S. Toyota Team Championship Series we were only recognized as one trail by them,” explained tournament director Chris Lucas. “Basically, we had to have one points system, so we don’t call it the North Carolina Division and Virginia Division anymore. The guys who fish on Saturday and the guys who fish on Sunday, all the points go to the same standings.”

Lucas said the schedule is set up so there are two tournaments in Virginia, which are held on Smith Mountain Lake, and two tournaments in the Carolinas where the dealerships are located – in Lexington and Spindale – one on High Rock and one on Lake Hickory.”

The other tournaments are held on the border, with two double-tournament weekends on Kerr Reservoir, he noted.

“An angler can make one trip, fish Saturday and Sunday and get two qualifiers in while saving money. That Kerr tournament weekend will be our biggest draw of the year,” Lucas said.

And, he added, anglers who plan to fish the Kerr tournaments need to get registered as soon as possible.

“We are already up to 780 to 80 on both of those tournaments and that is a month away. If you are planning on fishing that tournament you might want to go ahead and get registered,” Lucas said.

While 135 boats showed up for the Smith Mountain tournament March 8 “despite a winter storm , cold temperatures and frozen lake conditions,” Lucas said he expects 780 to 80 boats to compete in Saturday’s tournament on High Rock under much more favorable conditions.

“The High Rock Tournament is scheduled to run 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., but we will probably run it from 7:30 to 3:30 or 4 p.m. because it is still dark at 7 a.m.,” he said. “We’ll blast off at good light.”

Lucas said he had not heard any definite reports on fishing at High Rock, but the word is the lake is a little muddy, but the water is warming fast with the warmer temperatures in the last few days.

“I think people will be able to catch fish about however they want to,” he said.

The remaining Anglers Choice Tournament schedule includes: March 21, High Rock Lake; April 18 and 19, Kerr Reservoir; May 2, Smith Mountain Lake; May 23, Lake Hickory; June 6 and 7, Kerr Reservoir; with the Ranger Classic Oct. 3-4 on Kerr Lake and the Triton Classic Oct. 17-18 on High Rock Lake.

 

Angler’s Choice Invitational Tournament Trail 

Sat, Mar 21, 2015

High Rock Lake

Southmont Wildlife Area Access

Call Chris Lucas 276-358-0844

www.anglerschoicemarine.com