HENDERSON, N.C. (March 9, 2009) - Jamey Caldwell of Carthage, N.C., won the Bass Fishing League Piedmont Division bass fishing tournament on Kerr Lake Saturday with a five-bass catch weighing 15 pounds, 5 ounces. The victory earned Caldwell $5,241 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Potomac River Regional Championship in Marybury, Md., Oct. 8-10, where he could ultimately win a new Ranger boat and a Chevy truck.
"While I was getting ready to weigh in, I heard the tournament director calling weights and they were low," said Caldwell. "I heard 15-2 as the current winning weight. I still wasn't sure I could win it but knew then I had a good chance."
The day started off very well for Caldwell, fishing the lower lake on points with a Lucky Craft jerkbait. He caught two bass weighing 8 pounds by 8:30.
"I was on a good pattern and knew it would take 20 pounds at least to win," Caldwell said. "Since the wind picked up, I shut the pattern down and made an adjustment. I used the same technique but started fishing in grass."
The Fish were withdrawn, making it harder to find them. With the day heating up, he found 62-degree water and the fish in shallow water.
Caldwell said, "I had 10 minutes to weigh-in, so I mentally put myself in the game and made the fish bite and caught a 2 1/2 pound bass and culled out the one-pounder I had." That fish, he said, is what gave him the win.
"The guy checking the fish confirmed to me I was at least in the top three. The checker covered the weight number so I couldn't see and then took his hand away and announced I was the new leader," Caldwell said.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Robert Walser of Lexington, N.C. (five bass, 15-2, $2,620); Greg Wyrick of Red Springs, N.C. (five bass, 14-6, $1,748); Randy Goss of Stem, N.C. (five bass, 12-10, $1,223) and James Blankenship of Lexington, N.C. and Ralph Hollifield, Jr. of Winston-Salem, N.C. (five bass, 12-9, $1,004).
Charles Shuck took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $825 for a 5-pound, 5-ounce bass he caught.
Hunter Campbell of Henderson, N.C., earned $2,614 as the co-angler winner Saturday thanks to five bass weighing 11 pounds, 13 ounces that he caught on a spinnerbait.
Rounding out the top five co-anglers are David Buskey of McKenney, Va. (three bass, 11-7, $1,307); Jeremy Gatewood of Chesapeake, Va. (five bass, 10-13, $872); Jeff Gore of Lynchburg, Va. (four bass, 10-8, $610); and Randy Buchanan of Bullock, N.C. (four bass, 9-11, $523).
David Buskey earned $407 as the co-angler Big Bass winner after catching a 6-pound, 10-ounce bass.
The next Piedmont Division event will be held on the Jordan Lake in Apex, N.C., April 4.