WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (June 16, 2008) - Boater Craig Cheek of Newport News, Va., won the Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division bass fishing tournament on the Chickahominy River Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 13 pounds, 5 ounces. The victory earned Cheek $3,053 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Lake Seminole Regional Championship in Bainbridge, Ga., Oct. 16-18, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
"I caught my fish mostly on a Bandit and Lucky Craft crankbait and probably one or two on a Berkley Power Hawg," Cheek said. "We were fishing up river, and then we came down to about mid river. They were in water 5- to 8-feet deep, in the grass."
Rounding out the top five boaters are Joseph Carr of Lanexa, Va. (five bass, 13-04, $1,796); Donnie Harper of Chesterfield, Va. (five bass, 12-02, $1,201); Walter Emerson of Mechanicsville, Va. (five bass, 11-13, $838) and Brian Bowers of Franklinton, N.C. (five bass, 11-07, $658).
Harper took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $460 for a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass he caught on a Senko.
Stacy Metz of Staley, N.C., earned $1,796 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces that he caught on a Sweet Beaver and frog.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Brad Zeigler of Sanford, N.C. (five bass, 9-14, $898); Waylon Brown of Elm City, N.C. (five bass, 9-09, $598); Randy Clark of Staley, N.C. (four bass, 9-05, $419) and Tony Toombs of Drakes Branch, Va. (five bass, 8-12, $359).
Ben Dewit of Edenton, N.C., earned $230 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 4-pound, 4-ounce bass he caught on a Senko.
A two-day Super Tournament, the division's fifth and final event, will be held on Kerr Lake in Henderson, N.C., Sept. 27-28.