AnglersChannel

Freeze Hoping Shallow Water Produces In Nc Bfl 2-Day Tournament On High Rock Lake

“I am hopeful that it will be a shallow water deal,” Freeze said of the WalMart BFL North Carolina Division 2-day tournament. “But,” he added, “I heard David Wright won a wildcat up there with 21 pounds and I know he is not fishing shallow.”

But the Concord, N.C., angler can't let that bother him. He will fish his strength and he is known for his prowess fishing shallow water year-round.

“Generally in September the fish are headed toward the banks and that is where I am going to be looking,” he said. “I'll look for some on topwater, then the spinnerbait and then I'll be looking with a jig and a worm. That is the way I am going to fish.”

Freeze noted that the lake was about 4 feet low before the recent tropical storm rolled through and dumped a lot of rain on the region, bringing the water level up.

“It's about 2 feet low now which I think is good. Once the water gets done rising and turns around and goes the other way, that is when the fishing will get better,” he said.

Although he is third in the points, Freeze believes he would have to have a super tournament while the anglers above him stumble to earn his fourth North Carolina Division points title this year.

“I did not do very good the first of the year. Usually by now I am on top in the points, but I'm in third place right now. David Williams is leading the points and he is a really good fall fisherman so I suspect he is going to win the points title.”

Freeze sits 56 points behind Williams of Maiden, N.C., and Keith Kirby of Gaffney, S.C., is in second place, just 10 points ahead of Freeze.

“I doubt I can make that up,” he said. “If David were not a really good fall fisherman I'd say there might be a chance. But I know him very well and he is going to catch them this weekend. I won the points the last two years and I'll just tell him I am giving him a shot at it this weekend.”

Freeze was the North Carolina BFL points champion in 2006, 2009 and 2010. He was also the South Carolina BFL points champion in 2001, 2006 and 2007.

He finished fifth in the S.C. Division two-day tournament on Lake Hartwell last weekend, winning $986 plus the $1,000 Evinrude bonus, and qualifying to fish the regional championship on Smith Mountain Lake October 13-15.

Wal-Mart BFL North Carolina Division – 2-Day

Sep. 17-18, 2011

High Rock Lake

Tamarac Marina

www.flwoutdoors.com

by AnglersChannel

Weather, High Water To Be Major Factors In Flw Open On Lake Champlain

Anglers have been left to their own resources to find ways to deal with the extremes created by unusual weather patterns this year – and the upcoming FLW Tour Open on Lake Champlain will be no different.

“I think this tournament on Lake Champlain is going to be different than in past years,” said Brian Travis of Conover, N.C., who is ranked 24^th in points in the Open Series. “In the last three years that we have been there this is the latest we have been. And I am a little concerned about the water level. This year they had the biggest flood ever up there in May and with Hurricane Irene going up through that area it is a little over two feet high.”

With the flooding pushing the water level up on the banks, Travis said he believes largemouths will play a larger role than normal in the tournament. Typically the smallmouth bite prevails on the northern end of the lake while largemouths are more prevalent on the southern end.

“It's going to be hard for me to stay away from down south. Usually this time of year when there is a grass mat out there is a shallow water bite down there. But with the water being so high I don't know how that is going to come into play,” Travis said.

Travis said he plans to divide his three practice days into two searching for smallmouth and one concentrating on largemouths.

“I'll probably smallmouth fish two days and then go down south and fish for largemouths one day, and then base my game plan on that.”

But, he noted, running south can be very risky if the weather plays a role next week.

“It's an hour and 15-minute run on flat water, but it's two hours at least if the wind gets up,” he said, “but it can be worth it because there are some big bags to be caught down there.”

Actually, he said, both strategies can be extremely productive on Lake Champlain.

“The northern end of the lake can be really good, too. That is the thing about Lake Champlain – it is loaded with fish and there can be some big bags caught.”

That high water is intriguing, he said, both for largemouths and smallmouths.

“They should be shallow. With the high water you would think they would be up on the banks a little bit,” he said. “We'll see. I flipped smallies at Table Rock and Pickwick, so maybe I can flip smallies at Champlain. I caught smallmouth in less that two feet of water at both those lakes, so maybe it will be the same as it was at Table Rock.”

Travis said he caught 3- to 4-pound smallmouth bass flipping bushes at Table Rock and he caught them flipping docks at Pickwick.

“It has been a kind of weird year,” he noted.

His goal next week, he said, is to move up to the top five in points and qualify for the Forrest Wood Cup next year.

“It will be back on Lake Lanier and I like fishing down there,” he said.

But for now he is concentrating on Lake Champlain.

“At Lake Champlain every year it comes down to just a matter of ounces whether you cut a check or not because there are so many 3- to 3 1/2-pound fish in the lake. You have to find those fish that are just a little bit bigger and sometimes that is hard to do.”

Travis said he has had a really good year fishing the Open Series this year and his relationship with Frog Tape, hie primary sponsor, had also been very good.

“It's still selling like crazy,. I am in the middle of a major remodel at my house and I am really putting it to work,” he said. “Frog Tape also did a fishing trip promotion with ACE Hardware and I took those guys who won out last week at Lake Norman. We had a blast and caught a bunch of fish – and John Byrne videotaped it for AnglersChannel.com.”

FLW Tour Open

Sept. 15-18, 2011

Lake Champlain

Plattsburgh Boat Basin

www.flwoutdoors.com

by AnglersChannel

A Conversation With Bassmaster Open Pro Michael Murphy

Were you expecting to do well when you saw this event on the schedule?

I have done well on Lake Erie in the past. Only fishing there twice before, I had a top 20 finish the first time, and the last time I fished Erie I caught 18-pounds the first day and then blanked the second day, mostly due to a huge weather change.  Even in the events held out of Detroit I’d run out to the big water (Lake Erie) to catch them.  Which is one reason I was excited for this event, it was held out of Sandusky. That meant the run to my favorite area would be much shorter. From Sandusky the run is only thirty to forty-five minutes, from Detroit, the run is typically about an hour, but with bad weather has taken me as long as three hours each way.  I knew the extra time with my line wet would help me out quite a bit. I’d get at least an extra hour and a half or two hours of fishing each day.

So much of a tournament is won and lost during pre-fishing. Did you find them during pre-fish or during the tournament?

I went in with my mind open about what to expect. We are getting into the fall and this is the time of year where the fish really begin to move around. If you look at the Everstart finishes from the week before out of Buffalo. What I thought was interesting is guys were catching the fish deep, but there were some guys who caught them shallow.  Which to me was like a light bulb going off. It meant the fish were started to move in.  Plus given the year with the weather patterns, a lot of fish just stayed shallow this year.  I am not sure if it was the rain or the nutrient run off or what, but a good portion of fish seemed to stay shallow all year.

When I drove up I drove up to Eastern Ohio and started there. I started near where Jonathon VanDam won the event two years ago.  Overall, it was really a sub-par day to say the least. I caught a couple decent fish, a four-pounder and a three-pounder, but overall I didn’t catch a lot of fish.  I did a lot of graphing and I pride myself in getting really good with the Humminbird side finder graph.  I graphed everything from 10-foot to 40 and 50-foot and I didn’t see anything that looked good.

The next day I travelled a little further west in Ohio and tested the waters around there. Again, I didn’t find anything real stellar.

I should say that I went up early to pre-fish.  I wanted to do real well and finish up the year strong so I gave myself plenty of time. Erie is a big lake to say the least so I gave myself plenty of time to figure it out.

On the third day, I finally found my way to Sandusky and launched there.  I ran out to my favorite area, called Pelee Island.  I didn’t catch much other than Walleye and Drum.  To make matters worse there was a bad algae bloom. It was the blue green algae which is photosynthetic, cyanobacteria which can really make you sick.  It was nasty, and everywhere.

So I was looking at the forecast for the next few days and it looked like there was going to be a lot of wind. I kind of backed up and punted, I spent the next two days just going largemouth fishing and looking.  I was taking everything with a grain of salt.  I was just sitting back and taking it in as we got a little closer to the tournament.  I figured out how to catch about 13-pounds of largemouth, which isn’t too great, but it felt nice catching fish.  In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever caught so many fish in one day. It really brought the fun factor back into it. On one day, I caught at least 70 bass, it was just nuts.

On the Tuesday before the tournament, I went back to Pelee Island and this time the wind had blown most of the algae out. My goal was to try and find a more accurate depth and I revisited a lot of the places that I fished in years past.

I was using the graph and again I wasn’t seeing a lot of fish. When I did see fish, it was just one or two paired up and that’s it.  I had a real suspicion the fish were spread out and on the bottom.

I started fishing closer to the bottom. I switched to a crankbait and I started catching fish. Most of them were smaller, one to two pounds, but I was catching fish. Then I started catching a few fish on the drop shot.  The one thing these two techniques had in common was I was catching them in the 12-15 foot range.  I did check a couple deeper places, down to 30 to 35 feet.

The thing about Erie is once you find them at a particular depth you can rely on that is where they are going to be.  I switched to a big tube, which I hadn’t fished there for four or five years, then I thought to myself maybe they want a snack and not a full meal.  I switched to a smaller Reins Legend tube on a Sean Hoernke, Horn Toad Tackle 1/8- ounce.  I caught a 4 pounder, then a couple three and a half pounders and I was thinking “OK, I am done.”

I moved about 200 yards away and caught another three and a half pounder. I started really looking at the tube hard, I could catch a few on the crankbait, but the tube was the bait catching the better fish. No joke, I was catching them with the Denali Rods Noirwood, 7-foot medium spinning rod.  That rod is so balanced and so light that, I know it sounds cheesy, but I could tell the difference between a Drum, a Goby and a Smallmouth.  A Drum would hit it with one hard thud.  The Gobies would hit it, almost like bluegill, repeated little thumps, and a Smallmouth with two sharp thumps, similar to that of a Goby, but with not as many thumps. When I felt that Smallmouth bite I’d just open up my spool count to two and set the hook on a nice one.

A lot of guys fishing around me were nailing the Drum, catching one after another. I was catching four-pound Smallmouth.  By the end of the tournament they were asking me how are you doing that.  By knowing the difference in the bite I was able to not set the hook on a Drum. A Drum would smash the tube and I’d just let it sit there.  Then I’d move it forward just a few feet and then I’d get the smallmouth bite.  It’s like the Drum were sitting out deeper and I had to get my bait through them before I could get it to the Smallmouth.  I’d almost always get a Drum bite before I’d get a Smallmouth bite.  Had I not been able to tell the difference I would have caught a ton of Drum and never got the bait to the Smallmouth. I literally used the Denali Noirwood rod to decode the bites.

Give us a quick rundown of the tournament days. How did it all unfold?

On the first day of the tournament I wouldn’t say it was what I expected, but I caught 19-pounds, 10-ounces and I weighed in 3 black smallmouth and 2 green smallmouth.  I’ll tell you what I mean by that here in a minute.

The second day I had a lot pressure around me.  Some guys moved into the area knowing that several of the leaders were around there.  On the second day, the water wasn’t near as rough making it a lot easier to get there as well.  I am the type of guy where I don’t care how rough it is even if it takes me an extra two hours to get there, I am going to take my time and get there.  A lot of guys won’t run in the big water like that.  I’ve got my Ranger/Evinrude boat rigged to handle the big water.  There is an All-Star service team on-site and I have great sponsors that will get it done and fix it for me if they need to.  So I don’t worry about it, I just go.

I ended up day two with one black Smallmouth and four green Smallmouth.

On the final day, Nate Wellman was a few hundred yards away, Kurt Dove was a couple hundred yards away and one other guy was close by.  These guys were great to fish around and we gave each other plenty of room.  We had about 8-10 less boats around us that last day.  I weighed in every fish I caught was a green Smallmouth.

What I mean by green Smallmouth is, once smallmouth get shallow they darken up. So when I started I was catching fish that had been there for a while.  The green ones were fish that were moving into the spot.  Most of the fish on day two and all of the fish on day three were fresh fish.  Having a spot that replenished itself each day was the key.

The bite did slow down, but I was catching good quality fish.  It was obvious that it was the perfect place and the tournament was won there.  The event winner, Nate Wellman was within a few hundred yards and I finished third.

I picked that reef to practice in the first place because I knew that would be the first place the fish would move up to. It was a twelve-foot deep reef, way out in the middle of nowhere.

The fish were a little more active in the low light condition, and seemed to be up on the flats a little more.  So each morning I would catch a few with the IMA Beast Hunter crankbait and on a dropshot with the Tabu Tackle Whipped Tail worm in watermelon or black. I guess they probably thought it was a leech, whatever it was they liked it. The crankbait was Fred’s perch color, which I think looked like a Goby to the fish.

It seemed like the bigger fish didn’t really get positioned on the hard edge until the sun was up for a few hours.  About 10:30 or when I had my limit, which was about 16 pounds each day, I’d pick up the Reins tube and start catching the bigger fish.

On the final day, I caught 20-pounds relatively early and was culling up ounces all day. I was culling out a 4.2 with a 4.4 and I really had no idea what I had. When I finally weighed in and the scales read over 22-pounds I was tickled.

Tell us a little more about the spot.

Pelee Island is about 15-miles long and four or five miles wide. You can see it on satellite imaging.  It’s a huge island.  I was fishing shoals around the islands.  They are just random areas of glaciation deposits that have been kept clean by the natural current coming around the tip of the island. The bottom floor of the lake is very clean, you can see on your side scan in some places where the glacier has pushed one bolder like 50-yards and cut a groove in the lake floor.  There will be a groove two-foot wide by a foot deep and at the end of the groove will be a giant boulder.

I was finding small areas of rock, rock that was anywhere from a foot to two-feet wide and in small piles.  I was drifting through my areas, and there were definitely key areas in that drift.  It got to the point where I knew I was going to get bit in a certain area.  I’d tell my co-angler, “OK get ready, here you go. The next ten-seconds you are going to get bit.”  If you hadn’t been there in a little while, it was 100% you were going to get bit.

What equipment did you use for each of the techniques?

I used the Denali Noirwood 7-foot medium action spinning rod for the Reins tube.  I used eight-pound fluorocarbon with that set up.  For the Ima Crankbait I used a Denali Rosewood 7’6” cranking rod with 10-pound test fluorocarbon.  I also fished the dropshot on a Denali Noirwood 7-foot medium action spinning rod and eight-pound fluorocarbon and a Reins Tungsten weight.

I can’t tell you enough how important that rod was with the tube. That rod is sweet and being able to tell the bites like I was, made all the difference in the world. My average fish was over four-pounds. Those are some tank Smallmouths and having the right rod with that light line was extremely important.

So what’s next for you?

I am heading for the final BASS Northern on Lake Oneida later in the fall. I set out to fish the BASS opens because it opens the doors to a lot of new media outlets my sponsors and myself. FLW has some unique media opportunities, as does BASS, so I wanted to be diverse this year to increase my promotional reach. Now I find myself sitting in eighth place for Angler of the Year and the top five qualify for the Bassmaster Elite Series.  I am not sure what I will do if I make it, but it’ll be nice to have options. I’ll discuss it with my sponsors and my family and make a decision.  When it comes down to it, I have to go the direction that makes best economic sense.

I appreciate everything FLW has done for me up until this point. However, I am not going to lie, this year has been a struggle. When you are part of the cut backs and it has nothing to do with your promotion or fishing ability, it puts it on you to do what you have to do to stay out there. If you don’t make wise decisions the dream might be over.  You might not be able to make it much longer.

There is no telling what is going to happen. I need to start by going to Oneida and taking care of that business.  After that, I’ll get together with my team of sponsors, and my family and figure out what is the best business decision for all of us. If I were to make it to the Elite Series and make the switch, it would be a business decision.

(This Article Was Provided By True Image Promotions)

by AnglersChannel

Howard Hopes To Finish In Top 5 And Win Bws Sc Division Points Title At Clarks Hill

But, the Elloree, S.C., angler admits it will not be easy. Fishing is tough on Clarks Hill right now, just as it is on most lakes and reservoirs in the Carolinas this time of year, said Howard who has been practicing on Clarks Hill most of this week.

“I would be thankful to catch 20 pounds total for the tournament. I think that would give me a top five finish and that would win the points. I think the person behind me could win this weekend and I could finish fifth, and he could win the points – but he would have to win the tournament.

Howard goes into the weekend with a six-point lead over Wade Grooms of Bonneau. Ryan McMurtry of Abbeville, who won the 2010 Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series Championship Operated by American Bass Anglers last November, is 8 points back. The series final is a double-points tournament so anglers at the top need to finish well lest they be overtaken by someone down in the standings who gets lucky and wins the tournament.

“If you win the points you automatically are qualified for the championship at Santee, but you still have to go to the regional championship and compete in it,” said Howard.

The top 40 anglers and co-anglers in the South Carolina Division, based on points, advance to the regional championship on the Mobile Delta Oct. 7-8, to compete against the top 40 in both divisions from Georgia, Florida, Alabama North and Louisiana BWS divisions. The top 50 anglers and top 50 co-anglers from the regional championship qualify to fish in the National Championship Nov. 6-12 at Santee Cooper.

“I'd just as soon go ahead and win the points at Clarks Hill and not have to worry about how I finish at the regional,” admitted Howard who said he has been very fortunate to reach the points lead.

“I have not won anything this year, but I started off pretty good at Lake Murray and finished second. I got a little lucky there and caught some decent fish. I only had four, but they were four good ones. And it just continued on. I had a good tournament at Hartwell, finishing third, which really helped me a lot.”

He finished seventh at Santee Cooper and he needed that and those two top three finishes because the third tournamnet at Lake Wateree was a bust for him, he noted, Howard finished 23rd at Wateree in April.

“So, now I am here,” he said, while acknowledging that he will have a tough time even making a 10-pound-a-day average this weekend unless the fishing changes drastically by Saturday.

“I think the fish are suspended. Most of them are coming out of 10 to 12 feet of water. A lot of small fish are chasing bait on points, little humps and stuff. You can catch those small fish, but the larger fish are not doing much. I'd love to catch a 2-pound fish,” he said.

Howard said the fish he is catching are coming on a topwater like a Sammie or a Spook, or a fluke.

“When they see that topwater coming across I think it is mostly a reaction bite. They just come up and hit it. But you better hope they get it when they do because a lot of times if you don't get them you don't see them again.”

Howard said he would love to see cloudy, windy and rainy weather this weekend, but he does not think that will happen, even though Hurricane Irene will be cruising up the coast. The hurricane is expected to have little effect on weather inland in South Carolina, except for a few thunderstorms here and there.

Without some weather to roil the waters a little, he plans to head for the lower end of the lake and find the clearest water he can.

“It's just a matter of getting a couple of good bites a day, although that will be tough to do,” he said. “I think somebody who can catch 10 to 11 or 12 pounds a day will do well. I think I can catch five each day, but I also think there will be a lot of anglers who will not catch a fish.”

Bassmaster Weekend Series South Carolina Division

Aug. 27-28, 2011

Clarks Hill Lake

Dorn Sport Fishing Facility

Call Billy Benedetti 256-230-5632

www.abaproam.com

by AnglersChannel

South Carolina Bass Fishing: A Two-Handed Landing

Characteristics of the South Carolina Striped Bass
With several dark very distinguishable markings of continuous stripes along the side of the South Carolina striped bass, and large gaping mount, bass fishing for a South Carolina striped bass can be an adventure beyond all other previous bass fishing excursions due to the mammoth size of this South Carolina “state game fish”. Once considered as a nuisance fish, the South Carolina striped bass has little or no impact on other species of sport fish, feeding mainly on shad, menhaden, herring and minnows. Although predominately a saltwater fish, the South Carolina striped bass travel to the fresh, crystal clean waters of South Carolina lakes and streams to spawn in March or April.

Record Proportion
South Carolina striped bass often reach epic proportions in weight and girth. With the South Carolina striped confirmed bass state record of fifty-nine pounds (59lbs) eight-ounces (8oz) caught in Lake Hartwell in 2002, other un-confirmed larger South Carolina striped bass have been caught in Lake Russell in 2009, weighing sixty-three pounds (63lbs) four-ounces (4oz) hooked with a blue back herring lure. Bass fishing for a South Carolina striped bass has often been referred to as a “two-handed landing”. The largest striped bass ever caught and recorded was a one-hundred and twenty-five pound (125lb) female striped bass estimated to be over thirty (30) years old.

South Carolina Striped Bass Fishing Tournaments
Of all the pristine lakes and rivers that flow throughout this picturesque breath-taking State, striped bass tournaments in South Carolina are commonly held throughout the year on the following five main rivers:

• Cooper
• Santee
• Congaree
• Waleree
• Saulda above Lake Murray

Typically an intra-state bass tournament, National bass tournaments have also been held in South Carolina attracting syndicated media attention, drawing professional anglers across the United States.

Bass Fishing Boats of South Carolina
Bass boats of South Carolina come in all sizes and configurations from powerful one-hundred and thirty horsepower custom-built new bass boats to the traditional bass fishing boats handed down through passed generations. Regardless, new or used bass boats used in the many productive lakes and rivers throughout South Carolina are cherished family members with a long legacy and tradition of bringing aboard a two-handed landing.

Bass Fishing South Carolina
Whether you’re a pro angler or a amateur, getting involved in bass tournaments is easier than you may think. Find all the information you need when you visit the bass tournament listings. If you don’t see what you need, please check out the bass blogs and ask a question in the forum.

by AnglersChannel

FLW Cup Day 2 Report

Spoke with several anglers who cracked the top 20 and believe it or not, they caught fish sight fishing cruising fish in very shallow water.................are you kidding me??!!!! I still think the leaders are catching a majority of their fish suspended----now out goes the theory that the shallow bite is the key for this Cup!! I think its going to take another 25 plus Lbs to win the 2011 FLW Cup with Scott Martin having a lot of success and confidence at this point. Should be intersting so check in over the weekend as we will post anything that we recieve.............have a great weekend!!

by AnglersChannel

Ranger Pro David Dudley Wins Flw Tour Angler Of The Year

David Dudley’s professional resume grew even more impressive on July 23 when the longtime Ranger Pro secured the second FLW Tour Angler of the Year Award of his career by virtue of his 11th-place finish on Pickwick Lake.

Coupling his tournament winnings with his $100,000 Angler of the Year prize, Dudley moved his career earnings mark to $2.6 million at Pickwick, while also becoming the third FLW Tour angler to win multiple Angler of the Year titles. Fellow Ranger Pros Clark Wendlandt (2009, 2000, 1997) and Jay Yelas (2007, 2002) are the only other FLW Tour pros to accomplish the feat. Dudley, whose first Angler of the Year Award came in 2008, is now the founding member of a new club as the only FLW Tour pros with multiple Angler of the Year Awards as well as a Forrest Wood Cup Championship (2003).

The 2011 FLW Tour Angler of the Year race went down to the wire, with Dudley and fellow Ranger Pro, Brent Ehrler, battling for the coveted award. Knowing he had to finish Day 3 of the Pickwick event near the Top 10 to secure the title, Dudley found himself fishing the same area as Ehrler, who went on to fish the final day, finishing in 10th place.

“Well, I think all fishermen will agree it’s the most prestigious title out there, and anytime you can get that belt, that title, it’s something to be proud of,” said Dudley, who edged Ehrler by 15 points in the Angler of the Year standings. “This one was a battle. Me and (fellow Ranger Pro) Brent (Ehrler) were fishing the same area together and we were exchanging blows. He’s so good, I knew I couldn’t slip up.”

Dudley will be the No. 1 seed for the Forrest Wood Cup Championship August 11-14 on Lake Ouachita in Hot Springs, Ark. The Forrest Wood Cup Championship will pay $500,000 to the winner plus an additional $100,000 Ranger Cup contingency (to qualifying anglers), which would push Dudley’s career earnings well over the extremely rare $3 million mark.

“What David has accomplished on the water in the last decade has been nothing short of amazing and has included a pair of Angler of the Year awards, the Ranger M1 championship and a Forrest Wood Cup championship,” said Ranger Boats President, Randy Hopper. “We congratulate David on another career milestone and are proud of our entire family of competitive anglers.  Their contributions to the sport of fishing and Ranger product development continue to help us set the highest standards.”

David Dudley: 2011 FLW Tour Finishes
Beaver Lake – 9th place
Lake Hartwell – 22nd Place
Lake Chickamauga – 13th place
Red River – 7th place
Kentucky Lake – 42nd place
Pickwick Lake – 11th place

About Ranger Boats
Headquartered in Flippin, Ark., Ranger Boats is the nation’s largest manufacturer of premium fiberglass fishing boats, which include series of bass, multi-species, fish 'n play and saltwater boats. Founded in 1968 by Forrest L. Wood, Ranger Boats continues its commitment to building the highest-quality, strongest-performing boats on the water. For more information, go to www.rangerboats.com.

by AnglersChannel

Bassmaster Weekend Series Nc Division Making First Stop Ever On Falls Lake Saturday

“This is the fourth tournament for the division and anglers must have fished at least one qualifying event to advance to the two-day tournament. You can't just join at High Rock and fish that event,” said tournament manager Gary Conner.

“The reason we are going to Falls for the first time is because the fishermen asked for it,” Conner said. “They told us, 'Hey, Falls is a good lake in the summertime,' so we are giving it a shot.”

Conner said registration will be held at the ramp from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, with the pre-tournament meeting at 7 p.m., for anglers looking to fish and get qualified for the division championship Aug. 27-28 on High Rock Lake.

While Conner said he had no BWS tournament history to draw on for Falls and had not seen results from any recent local tournaments, the advance information on Saturday’s event posted on the BWS website (www.abaproam.com) Wednesday advised that the lake can produce largemouths in the 5- to 8-pound range and smallmouths in the 4- to 5-pound range.

In five-bass daily bag tournaments, it usually takes about 20 pounds to win with the lunker topping six pounds so fishing summer patterns – shallow early and deeper later in the day – should be a good game plan.

Not only will Saturday be the last chance to qualify for the two-day championship, it could unclog the logjam at the top of the points standings in both the pro angler and co-angler divisions – or make it even tighter.

“It's very tight at the top for both the pro side and the co-angler side,” Conner said. “Rob Digh of Denver, N.C., and Tony Hatten of Huntersville, N.C., are two of only three anglers who have caught a limit in every tournament. Shane Miller, who is ranked 8^th in the points, is the only other angler with a limit in every tournament.”

On the pro side, Digh and Hatten are tied with 733 points, but Ryan McMurtry of Abbeville, S.C., who won the 2010 Bassmaster Weekend Series on Alabama’s Lake Guntersville last November to qualify for the 2011 Bassmasters Classic, trails them by just five points and Brandon Gray of Bullock, N.C., is only three poinits behind McMurtry. In fact, Jason Dew of Whitesville, N.C., is within 45 points of the leaders in 10^th place in the standings.

Conner said there are only three anglers on the co-angler side who have caught a limit each time and the points logjam is just as tight as on the pro side. In fact, Ben K. Dacey of Chesterfield, Va., is 10^th in points and trails points leader Chad Shroeder of Dallas, N.C., by just 46 points.

Shroeder has 733 points, but Winfred Branch of Polkville, N.C., is just two points back. There is a slight bit of breathing room the rest of the way down as Robert “Shane” Holleman of Asheboro, N.C., is 11 points back of Branch and Steve Cannon of Wilkesboro, N.C., in 4th place, trails Holleman by 9 points. In 5^th place, Jim Jenkins of Crumpler, N.C., is 6 points behind Cannon and only 28 points back of the leader.

Bassmaster Weekend Series North Carolina Division

Sat, Jul 30, 2011

Falls Lake

Ledge Rock

Call Gary Conner 256-230-5627

www.abaproam.com

by AnglersChannel