Jason Wilson of Lincolnton, North Carolina won the American Bass Anglers Ram Truck Open Series North Carolina tournament, held 02/11/17 on Lake Norman.

Running out of Blythe Landing, Jason caught five bass weighing 15.52 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 4.21 pound kicker. For the Boater division victory, Wilson took home a check for $5,000. Also, being a Triton Gold member, Wilson pocketed an extra $7,000 from Triton Boats and another $1,000 from Mercury Marine making his total earnings $13,000.

“I started out early catching schooling fish and I had my limit in about 15 minutes” said Wilson. “After my Co-Angler caught his limit of fish I moved on to fishing docks. The first dock I stopped on I caught a 4-pounder. We moved on a bit farther and I caught two fish off the same dock. All my fish I caught were good fish.”

In second for the Boaters, Richard Henley of Randleman, North Carolina landed a five-bass tournament limit weighing 15.37 pounds. He collected $1,250 for the effort. “I caught all my fish on a crankbait. The bite was good early but it slowed down. I caught one more good keeper around 1:00 pm. Over all it was a good day.”

Reid McGinn of Fort Mill, South Carolina took third for the Boaters with five bass going 14.91 pounds earning him $900 for the effort. “I had a bad practice so I had to change my game plan. I caught all of my bass around docks with a Tru-South custom jig. I caught probably 15 or so fish.” said McGinn.

Finishing fourth, Eric Moser of Concord, North Carolina landed a five-bass limit weighing 14.47 pounds.

Brian Morgan of Newton, North Carolina rounded out the top five Boaters with five bass weighing 14.30 pounds.

The biggest bass for the Boaters was caught by Reid McGinn of Fort Mill, South Carolina and weighed 4.91 pounds. McGinn pocketed $640 for his big bass.

In the Co-Angler Division, Kevin Jones of Hope Mills, North Carolina weighed in a three bass limit weighing 8.18 pounds. He collected $1,700 for the win.

“We started out up the lake catching schooling fish. We were fishing anywhere from 2-8 feet deep. I caught probably 10-15 fish throughout the day. I caught fish on a variety of baits but all of my better fish came on a green pumpkin trickworm on a shakeyhead,” stated Jones.

Taking second for the Co-Anglers, John Harris of Lexington, North Carolina brought in a three-bass division limit weighing 8.14 pounds. He collected $550 for the effort. “I had a good partner and the key was to pay attention to his casts. I probably caught 8 or so mostly on windy docks. I was using a shakeyhead, a swimbait and a jerkbait,” Harris said.

Ed Douthit of Mooresville, North Carolina placed third among the Co-Anglers with three bass weighing 7.71 pounds. He pocketed $400 for the effort. “I caught four fish today but they were the right ones. I caught three on a red speed trap and one on a shakeyhead,” stated Douthit.

In fourth place among the Co-Anglers, James Webb of Mooresville, North Carolina weighed in three bass weighing 7.68 pounds.

Charles Wood of Newton, North Carolina finished in fifth place with three bass weighing 7.15 pounds.

The biggest bass for the Co-Anglers was caught by John Harris of Mooresville, North Carolina that weighed 4.04 pounds. John pocketed $295.

Slated for 3/18/17, the next divisional tournament will be held on Badin Lake out of the Alcoa Landing near Albemarle, North Carolina. At the end of the season, the best anglers from across the nation advance the 2017 Ray Scott Championship slated for Old Hickory Lake in Hendersonville, TN in April of 2017.

For more information on this tournament, call Rodney Michael, tournament manager, at (256)497-0967 or ABA at (256)232-0406. On line, see www.ramopenseries.com.

About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Ram Truck Open Series, the American Fishing Tour or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.