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Wishing Well Bass Tournament
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Wishing Well Bass Tournament This Saturday On Tillery
December 5, 2009
Thanksgiving is over. The shine has left deer hunting season, and you wish there was one more bass tournament you could jump on. About all the club schedules and benefit tournaments are wrapped up for the year and your bass boat is begging for one more late-fall outing. There's a bit of good news for NC anglers looking for another big event to compete in... the Third Annual Wishing Well Bass Tournament will take place this coming Saturday, December 5th on Lake Tillery.
Fliers have been appearing on boat launch area windshields for weeks now as organizers of the event get the word out. Mail in registrations were due November 25th, but anglers can register that morning at the Swift Island Wildlife Access (off Hwy. 24/27) between 5:30 and 6:45 AM. Entry into the event is $60 with a Big Fish $10 pot. Only two anglers are allowed per boat.
Organizers are guaranteeing payouts based on the number of boat teams participating. First place will pay $15 per entry, while second will pay $8 per entry. Five places will find a payday at the end of the tournament. A six-fish limit will be used.
An important element of the event will be the weigh in location. All boats must check back in at the docks at the Swift Island Access by 3 PM, but the actual weigh in will happen at God's Country Outfitters on Hwy. 52 in Albemarle. GCO, along with Wendy's Embroidered Specialties and Troy Sporting Goods and Pawn, are Platinum Sponsors of the event. Gold Sponsors include Lefler's Place, White Star Pharmacy of Troy, Lemon's Backhoe & Loader Service Inc., and Montgomery County Ducks Unlimited.
According the the flier circulating, “The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.” The Central and Western NC chapter, organizers of the Dec. 5 event, was founded in 1985 and covers fifty one counties. Over 2,200 wishes have been granted in the chapter's history. Form ore information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western NC, visit www.ncwish.org.
Gibson And Bayse Score 22.48 At Wishing Well Tourney
December 5, 2009
The one thing that participants in the Third Annual Wishing Well Bass Tournament couldn't say after Saturday's event would be that there was heavy fishing traffic on Lake Tillery that day. Angling teams were greeted at the landing on Highway 24/27 with temperatures in the upper thirties, rain, and forecasts of possible snow late in the afternoon. Still, fourteen boats turned out for the fund raiser for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western North Carolina.
Anglers blasted off shortly after 7 AM and fished until 3 PM. After boats were loaded, the competitors headed for God's Country Outfitters in Albemarle for the weigh in. Championship Fishing, a new trail featuring a winter series and three separate series beginning this spring, handled weigh in chores.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation, www.ncwish.org, grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. The Central and Western NC chapter was founded in 1985 and covers fifty-one counties. Over 2,200 wishes have been granted in the chapter's history.
Begun three years ago by high school junior, Sam Hurley of Mt. Gilead, NC, the annual bass competition has been taken over by other high school students as a senior project. This year's event was organized by Chandler Maness, of Albemarle, who attends Gray Stone Day HS, a charter school located in Misenheimer, NC . He was assisted by Cody Lisenby, a senior at South Stanly High who lives in Norwood.
After just over two inches of rain only days before, Tillery presented a real challenge to anglers. Plenty of current can often be a good thing, but the moving waters were muddy. “You could about walk on the water it was so muddy,” stated Jimmy Blue of Troy with a chuckle. Persistent rains all morning didn't begin to let off until mid afternoon, when they were replaced by periods of rain. Breezes began to pick up near the end of the event.
But, for Todd Gibson and Mark Bayse, the combination was the right one. The pair picked up 22.48 pounds of bass in six fish to capture first place. Included in their hefty bag was a 7.52 pounder that added Big Fish honors to their day's efforts. The pair used crankbaits to land their fish. Winnings for first place were $500 and Big Fish paid out $130.
Clay Williams and David Redman used spinnerbaits to nailed down second with 16.88 pounds to take home a $104 purse. Leon Prince and Philip King slipped in a water drop behind them with 16.87 pounds to win $52 and third place.
The final two paying positions were won by James Blue and Wally Fields of the Montgomery Bassmasters with 15.37 pounds to take home $26. The pair fished the south end of the lake. According to Blue, all his fish were caught on Dave's Tournament Tackle River Series Spinnerbaits. No schooling action was reportedly seen by any of the competitors. Randy Burleson and Harold Snuggs took the final spot with 14.04 pounds to win $13.
Just outside the paying positions were local favorites, Michael Treece and Kenneth Tucker. The team fishes in numerous events across the region and usually places within the top three spots. “We figured out the patterns a bit late in the day,” stated Treece who is sponsored by Galloway 4 Wheel Drive of New London. “If we had another hour, we would have brought in a pile more.” The pair managed 10.27 pounds with a 4.25 pounder that was the second largest solo caught.
A raffle for prizes donation by various sponsors and supporters found Mabon Kimrey winning what was probably the biggest prize of the day. The Norwood resident won a Remington 20 gauge 1187 shotgun valued at nearly $1,000.
GCO, along with Wendy's Embroidered Specialties and Troy Sporting Goods and Pawn, were Platinum Sponsors of the event. Gold Sponsors included Lefler's Place, White Star Pharmacy of Troy, Lemon's Backhoe & Loader Service Inc., and Montgomery County Ducks Unlimited.
For more information about the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central and Western NC, visit www.ncwish.org.