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Cole Ridge Hook Setters
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2009
Cole Ridge Hook Setters Draw Tillery Waters
June 20, 2009
No one in this club knows until the evening before an event where they will be trailering their bass boat early the next morning. Pre-fishing, a strategy used by many anglers, can give an edge to those who can do it. For this group, that is not an option. All anglers show up cold, not knowing until it's too late, which lake and where on those waters the fish are hitting.
The Cole Ridge Hook Setters, a un-affiliated group out of the Asheboro and Ramseur area, drew Tillery for its June 20th stop. Ten boats hit the waters off Swift Island and went casting until the 1 PM weigh in. The club uses a three-fish limit so as to keep caught bass healthier.
Dale Hege, co-director of the group along with Wayne Lawson, said he thought the anglers were pleased with the pick, although they struggled in the heat and surface traffic all morning. “This is a skinny lake and everybody wanted to be out there today,” he said. “I'm glad we are done by 1, because I think it'll get real busy later on.”
The club pays four places and two big fish. They meet once a month for events from January through October. The $40 entry fee includes Big Fish Pot.
Gary Phillips and partner Berl (sorry, no last name provided) captured first place with 3 fish weighing in at 7 pounds even. The place paid $135. Phillips also netted Big Fish, a 3.8 pounder that earned his team another $70. On that day, five teams found pay-bass as two teams tied for fourth spot. Second Big Fish was won by Rob Stover, a 3.2 pound bass that netted him $30.
For more information about the club, contact Hege at 336-879-5546.
Shane and Holleman Win At Badin Lake
July 11, 2009
Conditions weren't right for it to be a lunker kind of day at Badin Lake July 11th, but Michael Shane and Shane Holleman managed to find solid weights in three fish to win the Cole Ridge Hook Setter's event there. Water levels in the lake were down well over a foot and there was practically no water running in or out of the pond.
The day began on a positive note as clouds rolled in overnight to blanket the sky, blotting out the sun for the better part of the morning. A steady breeze blew throughout the day, but a series of brief cloud bursts made humidity levels climb rapidly. “It was probably one of the best days you can have in mid-July,” stated member Dale Hege. “It sure beats having the sun beat down on you all day.”
Twenty four anglers on twelve boat teams hit the waters shortly after daybreak from the Circle Drive Landing. Their return at 1:30 PM brought reports of small fish caught throughout the event. Average size to the scales was about a pound-and-a-half.
Shane and Holleman managed better, as their three fish (limit for this group) topped the scales at over three pounds apiece for a total weight of 9 pounds 6 ounces. Their earnings for the event were $162.
Second place finishers Barry Wright and Jonathan Craven averaged over two-and-a-half pounds with a total weight of 8 pounds even. Their take-home pay was $90.
The club pays four places, so numerous teams found cash at the end of the day. Third place paid $72 and was claimed by Lewis Brown and Billy Reynolds with 5.6 pounds. Fourth place went to Darrell Ritter and Josh Caviness who earned $36 with 5.2 pounds.
Big Fish crown went to Michael Shane, with partner Shane Holleman, with a 5 pound 8 ounce keeper. The pair added $84 to their pockets with that score.
The club also pays out a Second Big Fish spot, but today's event made math a must-do. Three boats managed to bring home 3 pounders, so the $36 had to be split between the six anglers. Boat teams of Victor and David Lynch, Barry Wright and Jonathan Craven, and Bill Varner and Reggie Garner all took home a piece of prize money.
Pre-fishing with this group is not only disallowed, it can't be done. Selection of the lake and landing is done late the night before and all members are called and notified. Even Fishbyte.net gets a ring from a club member.
For more information about the club, contact Dale Hege at 336-879-5546.
Hooksetters Use Badin As Season Ender
September 26, 2009
It couldn't have gotten much tougher for the Coleridge Hooksetters last weekend when the club held its final event of the season at Badin Lake. Water levels were down over a foot and a half, air temperatures stayed on the cool side, and showers pelted the anglers on and off all day. Still, eight boat teams rallied and managed to find some good late-summer weights to haul to the scales.
The Hooksetters use a slightly different format than most clubs. There is no pre-announced schedule as lake locations are decided the night before an event. Members are called and notified where they'll be fishing in the morning. “This eliminates the extra edge so many anglers use by pre-fishing a lake,” note club director, Dale Hege. “We think this approach puts everyone on a more-equal level.”
Most of the anglers who found fish in this final event fished around the Shamrock area towards the north end of the lake. First place winners Lewis Brown and Billy Reynolds weighed in 9.6 pounds on their way to the $120 first place prize. They also caught Big Fish, a 6 pounder, that added $56 to their take home.
Robert Stover and Robbie Stover hung close, missing a first place scoring by two-tenths of a pound. The team netted 9.4 pounds of bass and earned a second place, $75 purse. Third place went to Dale Hege and partner, Reggie Garner, who found 7.8 pounds. They earned $45. The club pays three places, first Big Fish and second Big Fish. Oddly, the second place and third place teams brought in an identical weight fish, 3.4 pounds, to split the Second Big Fish pot.
Generally, the club fishes the second Saturday of each month from January to September. For more information about the club, contact Dale Hege at 336-879-5546.