SALISBURY, N.C. (June 23, 2008) - Boater David Wright of Lexington, N.C., won the Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division bass fishing tournament on High Rock Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 23 pounds, 12 ounces. The victory earned Wright $4,573 plus a $807 Ranger contingency bonus and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Cherokee Lake Regional Championship in Morristown, Tenn., Oct. 16-18, where he could ultimately win a new 198VX Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
"I caught four of the five fish I weighed in on a Zoom Z3 crankbait in chartreuse and one on a Zoom Old Monster," Wright said. "I didn't have any great big fish, but I didn't have any little ones, either."
Wright said he weighed in a 6-pounder, 5-pounder and three 4-pounders, "give or take a few ounces." He focused on creeks in the morning, before moving to deeper water in the afternoon near the lower end of the lake towards the dam.
"I caught all the fish on stumps or rocks," Wright said. "I usually catch a lot of fish on brush, but no fish were on brush, for some reason-I'm not sure why."
Rounding out the top five boaters are Danny Haire of Yadkinville, N.C. (five bass, 18-08, $2,690); Steve Shaw of Dallas, N.C. (five bass, 18-04, $1,794); Steve Sink of Winston-Salem, N.C. (five bass, 17-10, $1,255) and James Nance of Denton, N.C., and Roger Pope of Statesville, N.C. (five bass, 17-06, $1,031).
Nance took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $855 for a 7-pound, 2-ounce bass he caught on a buzz bait off banks in 2 feet of water.
Charles Price of Bostic, N.C., earned $2,690 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 13 pounds, 3 ounces that he caught on a shaky-head finesse worm on docks and points near the river.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are Jason Brown of Zionville, N.C. (four bass, 13-00, $1,122); Eddie Yahya of Archdale, N.C. (five bass, 13-00, $1,122); Justin Burleson of Albemarle, N.C. (four bass, 12-07, $583) and David Jackson Wright of Mooresville, N.C. (five bass, 12-07, $583).
Lloyd Anderson of Hickory, N.C., earned $427 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 3-ounce bass he caught on a crankbait.
A two-day Super Tournament, the division's fifth and final event, will be held on Lake Norman in Terrell, N.C., Sept. 13-14.