“It’s definitely going to be interesting,” said Chris Lucas, tournament director for the Anglers Choice Marine Tournament Trail hosted by the Bass Boat Superstore located in Martinsville, Va. “Each guy will weigh in just one fish each day and the one who weighs in the biggest fish each day will get a big check.”

In fact, the daily purse is $10,000, paid to seven places based on a minimum of 150 anglers. The biggest bass each day will be worth $4,000 to the angler who catches it. Second biggest will be worth $2,500, third biggest $1,250, fourth biggest $1,000, fifth and sixth biggest $500 each and seventh biggest $250.

And, he added, it gets even better for the angler who has two fish that combine for the top total weight for the weekend – a new Triton Boat, motor and trailer.

“This is the first time we have done this and we are doing it for the Triton side of our tournament trail,” Lucas said. “Triton is providing the bass boat for the angler with the top total weight for two days.”

Entry fee for the Lunker Challenge is $150 per angler and anglers may fish alone or with another angler. Early registration will run through 12 noon Thursday by calling Tonya Holt at Anglers Choice, 276-632-5600 or 800-632-4665.

“We will also be taking registration at the ramp Saturday morning, starting about 5 o’clock,” Lucas said. However, starting positions will be determined by the order of registration, so the earlier an angler registers the earlier his boat can move out.

Lucas said almost 100 anglers had already registered by Tuesday afternoon, so he feels the tournament will reach the minimum 150 anglers by launch time Saturday.

“We usually pick up 40 to 50 guys the morning of the tournament, guys who just register at the ramp, and we are getting some calls from guys who plan to do that,” Lucas said. “I talked to one angler from Wilmington,N.C., and he said there were eight from there coming up to fish the tournament, so it looks like we are going to have a pretty good spread out field.”

He said the routine will be similar to that at a regular Anglers Choice tournament.

“We are going to have a steak biscuit from Hardee’s, granola bar and drink for everyone Saturday morning and then Sunday afternoon when we finish the weigh-in we will have dinner for them. We are going to have door prizes donated by Triton, just like at one of our regular tournaments.”

As for the fishing, he said he has not received any recent reports on how fish are being caught at Kerr, but he expects everyone will be throwing big baits in hopes of catching a really big bass.

Lucas noted that the regular season for the Anglers Choice Marine Tournament Trail has ended and the field is now set for the two-day Classic Oct. 13-14 on Smith Mountain Lake with some 170 teams qualified. Teams had to fish a minimum of four tournaments to qualify for the Classic where the winners will take home a new Ranger Z118 boat with a Mercury Opti Max motor and trailer and Lowrance electronics.

“We have a tie again for the Jiffy Automotive Points Championship,” he said, “so we will have a fish-off at the Classic The team between the two tied for first place that finishes with the highest weight at the Classic will be declared points champions for the 2012 season.”

Tied for first place for the second year in a row are Kenny and Brandon Reynolds and Mike Altizer and Mike Pendleton. Kenny and Brandon Reynolds also won the Jiffy Automotive Big Bag of the Year award, a five-fish limit caught in the first tournament of the year at Smith Mountain Lake that weighed 23.31 pounds.

“Geoff Hill and Chris Vaught won the Jiffy Automotive Big Fish of the Year award with an impressive largemouth caught at Smith Mountain Lake on June 16 that weighed 7.10 pounds,” Lucas said.

 

ANGLER’S CHOICE MARINE LUNKER CHALLENGE TOURNAMENT

Sep. 15-16, 2012

Kerr / Buggs Island Lake

Occoneechee State Park Ramp #1

Pre-Register with Tonya Holt at Angler’s Choice – 276-632-5600

www.anglerschoicemarine.com/home/38-tournaments/111-lunker-challenge-2012.html