Fishing should be good for the Carolina Bass Challenge South Carolina Division tournament on Lake Wylie this Saturday, according to Reid McGuinn of nearby Fort Mill.

“There is a little bit of everything going on and the fish have been biting pretty much everything,” said McGuinn, who honed his tourmaline skills as a member of the Clemson Fishing Team before graduating three years ago. “The weather has finally stabilized and the water temperature is finally stable, too. It’s not going up and down from all the cold snaps.”

McGuinn said the fish are in all stages, but with the weather calming somewhat since the ice/snow storm two weeks ago that forced postponement of the first North Carolina Division CBC tournament on Wylie, some fish have already moved up on the banks with spawning on their minds.

“They are catching them on ShadRaps and crankbaits on points about halfway back in the creeks,” he said. “There are still a lot of fish out deep and they are catching those fish on the Alabama Rig, which has been the main thing, and on jerkbaits off main lake points and in the big creek mouths.”

In fact, McGuinn said, the tournament Saturday could well be won on the Alabama Rig, which has been the dominant pattern in recent weeks.

McGuinn is fishing some of the CBC tournaments “close to the house”, as well as the North Carolina Division BFLs and as a co-angler in the B.A.S.S. Southern Opens.

There are five qualifying tournaments in the CBC South Carolina Division and five in the CBC North Carolina Division. The first South Carolina Division tournament was held Feb. 8 on Lake Murray with Thomas Hardwick and Tommy William weighing a limit at 23.67 pounds to win first place and a check for $10,000.

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.

“As in the past, we take all the teams from the South Carolina and North Carolina Championships to the two-day Classic,” said CBC Coordinator Brett Collins. “The dates and locations for the Championships and Classic will be announced very soon.”

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.

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.

 

Carolinas Bass Challenge – South Carolina Division

Sat, Mar 1, 2014

Lake Wylie

Buster Boyd Access Area

Call Brett Collins 803-413-7521

www.carolinasbasschallenge.com