The April 10 Bassmaster Weekend Series Tournament on High Rock Lake was the worst outing of the year and the most disappointing one for North Carolina BWS points leader Chad Everhardt who finished 31st.
“Tracy Adams and I had just fished a team tournament down there and finished second. I have real good practices on High Rock, but just can’t seem to carry through on the tournaments,” said Everhardt.
In both of the other BWS tournaments so far the Millers Creek, N.C., angler has finished in the top 10 – 7th at lake Wylie in February and sixth at Kerr Reservoir in May – which has him just five points ahead of Patrick Tierney of Denver, N.C., in the points race.
Except for a lost fish at Kerr, he might have had a more comfortable lead, he said.
“I lost a big one and got beat by two pounds,” Everhardt said.
Even with only a five point lead, it will be difficult to overtake Everhardt unless he stumbles badly at High Rock next week or at Lake Norman in the last tournament of the series in August.
“There is a one point spread in the qualifying tournaments, 200 points for first place, 199 for second, and on down, so it is very difficult to move up in the standings in one tournament,” said tournament manager Gary Conner. “In the final tournament on Lake Norman it will be a two point spread, beginning at 400 points, so that will give the guys a little more flexibility in improving their standings.”
Conner noted that the launch and weigh-in has been changed to Tamara Marina for this tournament and he will be taking entries as late as 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 9, at Tamarac.
Right now Everhardt is just focused on finding a way to catch fish at High Rock.
“I’ve not been down there since the end of May, first of June. I am a shallow water fisherman and a lot of guys who live down there catch them on the deeper places. That is the key. They know where the fish are and somebody like me, who does not know the lake too well, that puts me on docks and stuff like that in the shallow areas.”
His strategy will be to throw topwater early in the morning and then hit as many docks as he can until he finds the right fish.
“I’ll just run and gun and try to hit the right ones. I figure if you haven’t got them by 10-11 o’clock it is going to be tough. Then maybe I’ll get out on the points, throwing crankbaits,” he said.
“I’ve been tournament fishing the last 10 to 12 years and have not missed a beat. I am just a weekend warrior.”
Bassmaster Weekend Series - North Carolina – 2010
Sat. Jul. 10, 2010
High Rock Lake
Tamarac Marina
www.abaproam.com
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