Chilled Water From Winter Storm Could Help Lucky Team In Cbc-Nc Opener On Wylie

Hunter Hicks and Mike Stephens won the SC Division tourney last year on Wylie

The second winter storm in two weeks is expected to dump a half-foot of snow and ice on the Lake Wylie, S.C, area Tuesday and Wednesday, which is likely to make water temperatures plunge by the launch of the Carolina Bass Challenge North Carolina Division opener Saturday – but that might be a good thing for a few lucky anglers.

“Fishing is expected to be tough Saturday, with all the snow we’ve had,” said CBC Coordinator Brett Collins. “Water temperatures more than likely will fall, but that also tends to group the bass up and if one of our teams finds the right group it will pay off in a huge way.”

Collins noted that there have been two bass over 8 pounds weighed in at local tournaments in the past couple of weeks.

“We can expect to see some fish at least in the 5-pound range. Most would say 18 pounds would win the tournament and that’s about right for early February,” he said.

“The Alabama Rig is still catching fish and small crankbaits such as a ShadRap are productive. ‘Bumping,’ or hopping a spoon will find the groups of bass in deeper water,” Collins said.

“This is our first NC CBC Division qualifier. We will launch out of Ebenezer Park,” Collins said. “We expect over 175 teams as Wylie usually has a high turnout”

He added that the famous Skeeter Beans will be served to the anglers at weigh-in.

“We have five North Carolina Qualifiers scheduled and to make the NC Championship a team has to enter three of the NC Qualifiers. As in the past, we take all the teams from the South Carolina and North Carolina Championships to the two-day Classic. The dates and locations for the Championships and Classic will be announced very soon.”

There have been some changes in requirements for the anglers, he noted.

“We now have a single-file blast-off to reduce the tricky situations that can arise at a blast-off with a large number of boats. And we no longer take entry fees at the ramp. All teams must be paid by the Wednesday before each event.”

Collins suggested anglers check out the CBC website (www.carolinasbasschallenge.com) where the requirements and payouts are posted. Each angler must pay an annual $50 membership and teams pay a $200 entry for each tournament. The guaranteed purse for each tournament is $8,000 with an additional $5,000 to the top finishing Skeeter/Yamaha owner who participates in all 2014 CBC events.

Top prize at both the North Carolina and South Carolina championships is a Skeeter TZX190/150 with a Yamaha 150. First prize in the 2014 CBC Classic will be a Skeeter ZX200/200 Yamaha SHO.

The 2014 CBC schedule includes: North Carolina Division: Lake Wylie, Feb. 15; Lake Norman, March 22; High Rock, April 12; Lake Hickory, May 17; Falls Lake, June 7. South Carolina Division: Lake Murray, Feb. 8; Lake Wylie, March 1; Lake Wateree, March 29; Santee Cooper, April 19; and Lake Hartwell, May 10.

For more information, contact Al Odom of Chapin, S.C., Administrator, 803-429-1784, [email protected], or Brett Collins of Ridgeway, S.C., Coordinator, 803-413-7521, [email protected].

 

Carolinas Bass Challenge – North Carolina Division

Sat, Feb 15, 2014

Lake Wylie

Buster Boyd Access Area

Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521

www.carolinasbasschallenge.com