SALISBURY, N.C. (Sept. 24, 2012) – Miles Burghoff of Orlando, Fla., had a two-day total of 10 bass that weighed 36 pounds, 9 ounces to win the Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division Super Bass Fishing Tournament on the High Rock Lake Sunday. For his victory, Burghoff earned $4,604.
Targeting floating docks in Abbotts Creek with a combination of swim baits and swim jigs, Burghoff said that moving fast was key to his win. He said that he hit about 50 docks a day and didn’t spend any time waiting for the bass to bite; they either bit on a fast retrieve or didn’t bite at all.
“I was using three primary baits,” Burghoff said. “Secret Lures MVP Swim Jig in white and candy craw with a paddle style swimbait trailer, 5-inch YUM Money Minnow swimbait and the Berkley Split Belly swimbait both in natural shad.
“This was my first time on High Rock Lake,” continued Burghoff. “I was basically looking for docks that fit my pattern. There seemed to be a big population of bluegill and gizzard shad hiding out around the floating docks that were about 20 feet deep and the bass were suspending underneath the docks feeding on the bait fish.
“I know this sounds cliché, but I really have to give thanks to Oakley for my polarized sunglasses. I had to set the hook so fast and without them I wouldn’t have been able to see the bass bite which enabled me to set the hook as soon as the fish bit.”
Rounding out the top 10 boaters were:
2nd: Chris Baldwin, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 33-1, $2,302
3rd: James Blankenship, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 31-10, $1,536
4th: Jeff Jennings, Rock Hill, S.C., 10 bass, 31-1, $1,074
5th: Fred Kauffman, Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 28-12, $921
6th: Brandon Williams, Fort Mill, S.C., 10 bass, 27-1, $844
7th: David Wright, Lexington, N.C., 10 bass, 27-1, $767
8th: Rob Digh, Denver, N.C., 10 bass, 26-9, $691 plus $1,000 Evinrude bonus
9th: Todd Walters, Kernersville, N.C., 10 bass, 25-3, $614
10th: Steve Sink, Winston-Salem, N.C., 10 bass, 24-1, $537
Greg Deal of China Grove, N.C., weighed nine bass totaling 23 pounds, 5 ounces Sunday to win $2,302 in the co-angler division.
Rounding out the top 10 co-anglers were:
2nd: Brad Wright, Granite Falls, N.C., seven bass, 20-6, $1,151
3rd: Chip Crews, Thomasville, N.C., six bass, 17-13, $767
4th: Cody Norman, Elkin, N.C., eight bass, 16-2, $537
5th: Gurney Hoffman, Richlands, N.C., seven bass, 15-10, $460
6th: Ronnie Brown, Cherryville, N.C., six bass, 14-15, $422
7th: Bradley Chandler, New London, N.C., six bass, 12-3, $384
8th: Travis Ruff, Connelly Springs, N.C., six bass, 11-2, $345
9th: Charles Wood, Thomasville, N.C., four bass, 9-4, $307
10th: Michael Branch, West Columbia, S.C., four bass, 8-13, $269
The top 40 boaters and 40 co-anglers in the North Carolina Division, based on point standings, have now qualified for the Oct. 18-20 Regional Championship on Pickwick Lake in Florence, Ala. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and a Chevy Silverado, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518 with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.