Dave Stribling

Cold Snap Makes Fishing Tough For Fishers Of Men Regional On Lake Wylie

Bass fishing on Lake Wylie has been tough recently and the cold front that moved through at mid-week, bringing sub-freezing temperatures and scattered snow, has not helped matters at all.

“I am not competing but I had a chance to go fishing on the lake Monday – just went out and played around – and it was kind of tough for me,” said tournament director John Snincak of Fort Mill, S.C. “I'd bet that fishing is going to be tough for these guys this weekend.”

Snincak said he had talked with a couple of the anglers competing in the regional championship this weekend and they also reported fishing was tough during practice this week.

“This cold front has affected the fishing, but hopefully by the end of the week we will get a little warming spell and things will change a little bit for the tournament,” he said.

Teams will be competing from the North Carolina Central, North Carolina East, North Carolina Piedmont, South Carolina Lowcountry and South Carolina Upstate Divisions, along with individual tams from Kentucky, Indiana and Georgia, Snincak said.

“I am sure there will be other teams, as well. They are all trying to win their spots and get to the national championship.”

Competing teams must attend the pre-tournament meeting Thursday evening at the Baxter Hood Center on Anderson Road. Registration will be held from 5:15 to 6 p.m., with the meeting and meal starting at 6 p.m. All teams must have at least one representative present for the entire meeting. Flight assignments will be given at the meeting.
“We've got Dearal Rodgers speaking at the meeting. He will bring our inspirational message,” Snincak said.

Rodgers, of Camden, S.C., who won the FLW Tour Co-Angler of the Year Award in 2009 and the FLW Tour's Forrest Wood Cup as a Co-Angler in 2010, had dropped off the FLW Tour to start up his business, but he plans to fish the 2014 Tour in hopes of making the Forrest Wood Cup next summer on Lake Murray near Columbia, S.C.

The Fishers of Men National Tournament Trail is a nonprofit, nondenominational ministry whose mission is to introduce Jesus to fishermen and their families and to invite them into a relationship with Him, through bass fishing tournaments, according to founder Al Odom.
The tournament trail, which began in 1998 as a small four division tournament trail with a total of 21 events through the first season, has now grown into one of the largest fishing tournament organizations in the country. During the 2012 season, 44 team tournament divisions and 34 legacy divisions combined for over 300 tournament events.
All FOM tournaments are team events, with each team consisting of two members. Legacy division teams are also two-person teams. However, a legacy team is made up of one member who is 19 or older, and one member who is under 19.
Membership is open to anyone without regard to religion, gender, age, or race.
For more information, contact National Director Al Odom at 803-429-1784, or Vice President Bobby Eads at 812-583-6389.

Fishers of Men

2013 East Region - District 3 Championship

Lake Wylie

Ebenezer Park, Rock Hill, S.C.

http://www.fomntt.com/

Contact John Snincak, (803) 487-3216

by Dave Stribling

Three-Pound-Plus Average Expected For Tom C.a.t.t. On Lake Wateree

Carolina Anglers Team Trail director Brett Collins started the TOM C.A.T.T. Tournament series on Lake Wateree to fill in between C.A.T.T. Tournaments, but the fishing has been so good on Wateree the last few years the local anglers don't want to miss a weekend with some good competitive fishing.

“This fall the average winning weight at Wateree has been just over 18 pounds. It took 18 to win last week's C.A.T.T. And I would expect the same this weekend,” Collins said. The eighth of nine TOM C.A.T.T. tournaments on the schedule this year will be held Saturday on Lake Wateree.

“Quality bass are still biting,” Collins noted. “Last weekend the big fish weighed almost 7 pounds.”

Collins said that after eight tournaments Donald Hinson and Pat Clark have the Wateree points title just about wrapped up.

“They won the points in 2012. The points winners in TOM C.A.T.T. Fish the next series free,” he said.

Actually, Hinson and Clark started the year off fairly slow. They finished 6^th in the first tournament Feb. 16. The originally scheduled first tournament on Feb. 2 was canceled due to bad winter weather.

Hinson and Clark finished 5^th in the March 30 tournament and 7^th in the April 27 tournament, but then their luck began to change. Fishing with a sub angler, Clark won the May 11 tournament and the team took over the points lead, which they have not relinquished.

Hinson and Clark finished 3^rd on July 27, Clark finished 5^th Sept. 7 with a substitute teammate, and then Hinson and Clark won the tournament Nov. 2 to put a hammerlock on the title. The final tournament for 2013 2ill be held Dec. 7.

Entry fee in the TOM C.A.T.T. Tournaments is $120, with no membership fee. A $25 sid3e pot is optional.

“Next year we may tweak the TOM C.A.T.T. Format a little, but only to make it better so we will have more participation,” Collins said. “So far we plan to keep the TOM C.A.T.T. on Lake Wateree, but if there are guys asking for the series on other lakes we may start it up on a new lake.”

Collins added that the only TOM C.A.T.T. in North Carolina is on Lakes Gaston/Kerr.

Lake Wateree T.O.M. CATT Series

Sat, Nov 16, 2013

Lake Wateree

Clearwater Cove Marina

Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521

www.catttrail.com

by Dave Stribling