And he was not wrong.

In 2013, the second year of the tournament series between South and North Carolina, anglers will have won a hefty three quarters of a million dollars in cash and prizes for the years! The total purse for the CBC Championship on Lake Murray this weekend will be right at $100,000.

“We expect a 180-boat field,” Collins said. As of right now (Wednesday) with the number of boats registered the top six this weekend will receive: a 2013 Skeeter ZX200/200Yamaha SHO for first place; $10,000 for second place, $5,000 for third, $3,500 for 4^th, $2,500 for 5^th and $2,000 for 6^th. Big Fish will pay $1,000 and the top Skeeter owner will get $5,000.”

Skeeter Boats, Marshall’s Marine in Lake City, N.C., Foothills Marine in Morganton, N.C., and Palmetto Boat Center in Greenville, S.C., are the primary sponsors of the CBC tournament series.

Collins said 684 different teams from both Carolinas, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Georgia entered at least one tournament this year, a large increase over the entry for 2012.

“Next year we expect another good increase in numbers as we are adding some things that will really make the CBC the trail to fish,” Collins said.

While the rewards will be great, the tournament on Lake Murray Saturday and Sunday will not be an easy one to fish, he said.

“Conditions have been very tough as they always seem to be on Murray this time of the year. Schooling activity has almost died out so teams will have to rely on beating the banks or sitting on deep holes to catch a limit. With cold coming Saturday morning it may actually be good and bunch the bass up. Water temperature should not be a factor and the fish that are shallow should stay there.”

Collins conducted the very first Buckeye Lures Lake Murray Open last Saturday on the lake and the weigh-in bore out his prediction for this weekend.

Les Westberry and Dean Chapman weighed in a more than 3 1/2-pound average to take first place, but only 15 teams weighed a fish. Westberry and Chapman had a total of 18.22 pounds, anchored with a 4.68-pound largemouth.

Collins noted that based on past tournament success on Lake Murray there are some teams entered in the CBC Championship that are very capable of matching or even bettering that weight this weekend.

“Teams to watch at Murray include Tony and Clint Jackson who won the Murray Qualifier in February, plus the teams of Michael Murphy and Kevin Sanders; Doug Lown and Rhett Manus; Ben Lee and Neil Huffstetler; Phillip Anderson and Andy Lake; and Sean Anderson and George Berry,” he said.

Carolinas Bass Challenge Championship

Oct 26-27, 2013

Lake Murray

Dreher Island State Park

Call Brett Collins at 803-413-7521

www.carolinasbasschallenge.com