Welcome
Welcome to the Carolina Crankers website! We are the oldest bass club in Union county North Carolina. Founded in 1985, The Carolina Crankers are a dedicated club of bass fisherman. Most of our members have been fishing with us from ten to twenty years. We welcome all new members to our group.
Bumpy on Stumpy!
While Hurricane Sandy was hundreds of miles off shore, its high winds and 40mph surges took their toll on anglers this Saturday. The Carolina Crankers made their final stop of the 2012 regular season on Stumpy Pond in Great Falls SC. Teams put their trolling motors to the test trying to pattern a late fall bite. Fortunately, the high winds didn't slow the bite for our anglers. Nine teams managed just over fifty pounds of largemouth bass. As the day ended, Mark Tarlton (Cowboy) and Terry Benton (Taz) managed the day's only limit. Taz and Cowboy dropped 5 bass totaling 10lbs. and 12ozs. The tournament's big fish belonged to new members Todd Austin and Brian Strong. Todd and Brian weighed 4 largemouth with the largest weighing 4lbs. and 4ozs. We would like to congratulate Mark and Terry for today's win and Todd and Brian on today's big fish. Great job guys! The Carolina Crankers would like to thank all our members who have competed with us this season. Our members make us one of the most recognizable clubs in North and South Carolina! It has been a pleasure fishing with each of you! Below are the club members that have qualified for this year's Carolina Classic. Join The Carolina Crankers this January as we kick off the 2013 seaon! Until then...keep 'em hooked!
The Carolina Classic, November 17th 2012, from 8-4 on Lake Tillery
Wayne Snyder Jeremy Pressley
Rodney May Lisa May
Terry Benton Mark Tarlton
Mike Love Ronnie Rushing
Jonathan Cook Lindsey Cook
Tom Streeter Jimmy Sullivan
Mitchell York Jeremy Saylor
Daniel Springs (Moose)
The Carolina Classic, November 17th 2012, from 8-4 on Lake Tillery
Wayne Snyder Jeremy Pressley
Rodney May Lisa May
Terry Benton Mark Tarlton
Mike Love Ronnie Rushing
Jonathan Cook Lindsey Cook
Tom Streeter Jimmy Sullivan
Mitchell York Jeremy Saylor
Daniel Springs (Moose)
Seasons Change
As The Carolina Crankers inch closer to the end of the 2012 season, the change is in the air. Brisk morning temperatures gave way to mid 80 degree temperatures at Lake Wylie today. Unexpected by competitors, Lake Wylie lake lavels had been dropped 5 feet or more overnight. All winning practice patterns were erased and the fish were on the move. Many teams found their livewells empty at the three oclock weigh-in. After a very tough day on the water it was newcomers Todd Austin and his partner Brian Strong catching today's winning sack! Todd and Brian landed 3 largemouth totaling 4lbs. and 14ozs. We would like to congratulate Todd and Brian for their victory today! Club founder Wayne Snyder and his partner Jeremy Pressley grabbed second place as well as big fish honors today. Wayne and Jeremy landed one largemouth weighing 2lbs. and 6ozs. Congratulations Wayne and Jeremy! The Carolina Crankers would like to welcome our new teams that competed with us today. Welcome to the club! Join The Carolina Crankers as we conclude our regular season schedule at Stumpy Pond on October 27th. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Hard Day on the Creek!
The trophy lake status of Cane Creek has been put to the test over the past three seasons with The Carolina Crankers. The six and seven pound lunkers of yesterday are missing. As teams struggled to manage 16 inch keepers, most anglers showed frustration. Nine teams combined this Saturday weighing in only 5 keepers. At day's end it was The Dynamic Duo cleaning up with a 2012 season sweep with bookend victories on Cane Creek. Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing weighed in two largemouth totaling 5lbs. and 12ozs. Right at his uncle's heels was Corey Love with today's big fish! Dr. Love and partner Big Sexy grabbed big fish honors with their solo 3lb. and 8oz. largemouth. Join the Carolina Crankers October 6th as we continue our weekend series at Lake Wylie.
Big Water or Bust!
After what seemed like an eternity on small waters, The Carolina Crankers made the trip to Tuckertown Reservoir this week. After several months of tight quarters and used water, teams enjoyed throttling up and running the lake. Saturday had it all; overcast skies, low 80's and an aggressive bite! This week's heavy rains didn't seem to impact Tuckertown. In most places the waters were dark and "bassy." All teams managed to catch fish with one team dropping count after 30 largemouth! While numbers still make for a great day of fishing, it's the lunkers that bring home the bacon! Reigning "Classic" champions Terry Benton (Taz) and Mark Tarlton (Cowboy) made the run topside to land a hefty limit below the Highrock dam. Taz and Cowboy weighed a five fish limit totaling 14 lbs. and 2ozs. Mark and Terry also had today's big fish weighing 3lbs. and 10ozs. Thank you to our members that participated this week. Congratulations Mark and Terry! Watch out, Taz and Cowboy are making another late season run! Join The Carolina Crankers next month as we visit Cane Creek. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
The Double Double!
Batman and Robin pulled the double double this week on Lake Lee! Double digit weights winning back to back tournaments is no easy task competing against the talented members of The Carolina Crankers! Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing better known and loved to everyone as Batman and Robin have taken a strangle-hold on Lake Lee this week. Finding success Thursdsay night, the dynamic duo continued their domination this Saturday with another hefty limit of Lake Lee largemouth. At the 1:00pm weigh-in the pair dropped five largemouth on the scales weighing 11lbs. and 4ozs. Jeremy Saylor grabbed today's big fish honors with a Lake Lee chunk tipping the scales at 3lbs. and 12ozs. We would like to congratulate Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing for today's victory and say great job to Jeremy Saylor on landing today's big fish! Join us next month on August 11th as we continue our weekend series at Tuckertown Reservoir. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Lucky Shirt!
Team Double Trouble is back and they picked up right where they left off! Todd Cunningham and Chris Whitley better known as "Double Trouble", worked their magic on Lake Monroe this Saturday. We asked them what their secret was and Chris let it slip..."This is my lucky shirt." Hey man you gotta sleep sometime! I gotta get that shirt! Team Double Trouble found the recipe for success today landing four Lake Monroe largemouth weighing 8lbs. and 4ozs. Todd and Chris also grabbed big fish honors with a solid 4lb. and 4oz. bass. The semi-pro team of Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing, aka "Batman and Robin", dropped three largemouth on the scales totaling 4lbs. and 10ozs. The Caped Crusaders gave us another shot today, but only their mommas recognize them from that angle! Congratulations Todd and Chris; it's great to have you back! Join us July 14th on Lake Lee as we continue our weekend series. Just a reminder for everyone to keep there radios on WIXE 1190am. The Carolina Crankers will be guests for WIXE's outdoor show on Saturday June 23rd at 11:00am! Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Carolina Crankers Jonathan Cook "Cookie" and Daniel Springs "Moose"
Wildcat!!!
It was a shotgun start this Saturday as The Carolina Crankers held there first Wildcat tournament on Lake Twitty. Strictly enforced horsepower restrictions have strangled The Carolina Crankers abilities to fish on the lake where the club was founded. For years the club has called Lake Twitty home and two years ago we were pushed aside. Our club held a wildcat tournament this Saturday knowing there was a strong possibility we would only be allowed to use trolling motors. Though every member of the club respects and honors these limitations by holding speeds to 12mph or less, all teams competed with only trolling power today. Many teams were within horsepower limitations but all agreed upon a equal playing field. By 7:30am most teams had reached there first stops. By 7:45am non-tournament boats with motors above the 25hp restriction were blazing up and down Lake Twitty. We are proud of all our team members who competed this Saturday obeying lake rules. Hopefully we have earned the respect we deserve by abiding when others do not and eventually be welcomed back to the lake that our club was founded upon. All politics aside, The Carolina Crankers were enthusiastic about our first trip back to Lake Twitty since 2010. A strong bite and beautiful scenery welcomed the club just as we all remembered! Several limits were taken by the 10 teams that competed this Saturday. A wonderful smile stretched across Wayne Snyder and Rodney May's face as last year's new members and family members, Jonathan Cook (Cookie) and Lindsey Cook (Shug) brought home their first club victory with 5 Lake Twitty largemouth totaling 8lbs. and 12ozs. Cookie said it was all worth it now. Club members congratulated Cookie and Shug on a well deserved victory. Coming on strong this week, Superman fell just short of his second victory this week with 4 largemouth weighing 7lbs. and 12ozs. Join The Carolina Crankers June 16th at Lake Monroe as we continue our weekend series. Congratulations Cookie and Shug!
The Carolina Crankers would like to express our deepest regrets to the family of Robert Benfield. Our friend Robert passed this Sunday. Robert was a friend and member of The Carolina Crankers for many years. Most guys knew him as "The Big Bass Hog." Robert was the lake warden for Lake Twitty for many years. We all enjoyed the friendship and crazy fishing stories that Robert shared with each of us. All members please keep Robert's family in your prayers. We hate to say goodbye. Robert, You will be missed!
The Outlaw!
The Carolina Crankers made there first official series stop at Badin this week. With the onset of summer approaching, new tournament hours are shortened to 7am to 1pm. The shortened tournament hours are for the heat but this week no one was complaining! Six hours seemed to be more than enough as The Carolina Crankers dealt with an unusually weak bite. In his first victory of the season, Marshall, better known as " The Outlaw " sacked two Badin Lake keepers weighing 5lbs. and 0ozs. The Outlaw also grabbed big fish honors with a 3lb. and 0oz. fish just beating Mark Tarlton " Cowboy " by 2ozs! Congratulations Marshall for today's win! Join The Carolina Crankers weekend series on Saturday June 16th on Lake Monroe from 7am to 1pm. We would like to remind our weekly fisherman that The Carolina Crankers Sportsmans' Series is on Lake Lee each Thursday night this month. Until then...Keep 'em hooked!
Carolina Cranker Jonathan Cook
To The Batmobile!
What's faster than a speeding bullet? It's the dynamic duo at 70mph capes in the breeze! Where are they going? They have a special delivery! Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing, better known as Batman and Robin, deliver another knock-out blow this week at Cane Creek. The pair teamed up to drop 4 largemouth bass weighing 11lbs. and 8ozs. to secure an impressive fourth weekend series victory today. Scouting reports from Cane had been dismal at best this year but the lake was no match for the caped crusaders! Mike and Ronnie finished with more than a seven pound lead over the remainder of the field. They anchored their winning total with a 4lb. and 0oz. bass. Lisa and Rodney May ( Smokey and the Bandit) finished today in second place with 1 largemouth weighing 4lbs. and 0ozs. Today's big fish pot ended with a tie between Lisa and Mike and Ronnie. Mike and Ronnie took big fish honors having a total weight advantage for the tournament. The Carolina Crankers would like to congratulate Mike and Ronnie for winning this season's first trip to Cane Creek! Great job today Lisa! If I had only dropped that fish in the dirt first! All kidding aside, thank you to all our members that competed today! The club will be holding an open vote on a wildcat tournament for Randleman Reservoir at Badin Lake on May 5th. We would also like to remind everyone that our Thursday Night Sportsmen's Series is in full swing. Join us this Thursday at 4:30pm on Lake Monroe. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Double Dip!
Lookout Batman and Robin, Team Double Trouble is on a roll! Tough pre-spawn conditions were no match this week for Todd Cunningham and his partner Chris Whitley. Riding high from their previous win on Lake Monroe, Team Double Trouble delivered a knock-out blow on Stumpy Pond this week. The Carolina Crankers brought 12 teams to our favorite South Carolina honey hole this Saturday. The early season trip welcomed teams to a much tougher bite. Usually known for its' mid-summer numbers, Stumpy was a puzzle with most struggling to find a strong pattern. Drawing from their performance with similiar conditions from earlier this month, Todd Cunningham and his partner Chris, continued to find the right combination. Todd and Chris managed Saturday's only limit weighing 11lbs. and 10ozs. Mitchell York finished the day in second place with two fish totaling 7lbs. and 2ozs. Mitchell's bag was anchored by the tournaments big fish weighing 4lbs. and 14ozs. Thank you to all the teams that made the trip this week! The Carolina Crankers would like to congratulate Todd and Chris for another strong performance. We would also like to congratulate Mitchell for taking home the Big Fish prize as well as second place. The Carolina Crankers weekend series will be at Cane Creek on April 14th from 7:00am to 3:00pm. We would like to remind everyone that our Thursday Night Series starts this Thursday April 5th on Lake Monroe! Blast-off for our night series is at 4:30pm! Until then... keep 'em hooked!
New Faces Favorite Places
A gift of 80 degree temperatures this week brought new faces and close friends together to kick off the first trip to Lake Monroe this season. A promise of warm breezes and blue-bird skies filled the smiles and conversations before blast-off. 16 teams packed the small Union County lake promising a day of idle conversations and traffic jams. Unfortunately, the early season warm-up and pre-spawn stage brought the bite to a grinding halt. Few teams were able to dial in while half the field hauled water! In his second appearance with The Carolina Crankers this season, Todd Cunningham and his partner Chris Whitley found the magic! The pair found a pattern that produced 4 largemouth weighing 9lbs. and 12ozs. Todd and Chris took first place with a 3lb. cushion over seasoned member Danny (Bubba) Gibson who came home second with 3 fish totaling 6lbs. and 10ozs. Rounding out the top three, Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing (Batman and Robin), brought in 2 fish weighing 5lbs. and 4ozs. Today's big fish honors were won by new member Moose and his wife Jordan. Moose and Jordan weighed in a solid fish totaling 4lbs. and 14ozs. Moose said it was the teams' only fish for the day, but it was the right fish! Congratulations to all our winners today. The Carolina Crankers would like to welcome Jordan, Lindsey, Chris, Shelly and Joe. Welcome back Bubba Gibson and Harold Knight. Great to see you guys again! Join The Carolina Crankers in two weeks at Stumpy Pond in Great Falls! We would also like to remind everyone that our Thursday night series will begin the first Thursday in April on Lake Monroe! Until then... Keep 'em hooked!
Carolina Cranker Tim Davis with 13lb. Monster from Lake Monroe March 1 2012
Dedicated or Just Plain Crazy?
What inclement weather? The mailman delivers and so do The Carolina Crankers. Dedication drives fishermen even when the radar turns sour! On what looked like the Nantahala, teams dodged floating forests this week at Lake Lee. Even a midday tease of sunshine failed to trigger a healthy bite. Three teams managed solo catches in the swift and muddy waters. True to form, Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing never lost " that loving feeling." With a simple grin, the "dynamic duo" slipped a Lake Lee lunker on the scales. At 5lbs. and 14ozs. Mike and Ronnie grabbed first place and big fish for today's tournament. Randy Stegall and Dennis Hardee took second place honors with 2lbs. and 14ozs. Great job guys! Welcome aboard Danny and Todd. Welcome back Mitchell, Randy and Dennis. Join us March 17th on Lake Monroe from 8 to 4. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Blowin' My Way?
The Carolina Crankers were pounded this week on Lake Wylie. 25 to 30mph winds with 40mph gusts kept the punishment rolling as teams tried to knock out a limit. Despite the inclement weather, dedicated members braved the 3 foot swells like pros. After a brutal day of competition, 6 teams managed a solid bite; most ringing up a limit. At the scales it was Carolina Crankers founder Wayne Snyder and partner Jeremy Pressley landing the largest sack. Wayne and Jeremy cashed in with 5 largemouth bass weighing 12lbs. and 0ozs. Always near the top, Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing managed a close 2nd place limit weighing 10lbs. and 12ozs. Mike and Ronnie anchored their sack with today's big fish weighing 4lbs. and 2ozs. Thank you to our members for your continued dedication! We would like to congratulate Wayne and Jeremy for winning today's tournament. Join us March 3rd on Lake Lee from 8-4.
The One-Two Punch!
Like Batman and Robin, the dynamic duo of Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing continue to pound the competition. Seeking a repeat of January's performance, the "soon-to-go-pro" team launched an assault on Tuckertown Reservoir claiming the tournament's top spot. All kidding aside, this accomplished team continued their domination this Saturday dropping 17lbs. and 4ozs. on the scales. Mike and Ronnie's winning sack was anchored by this event's big fish weighing 4lbs. and 10ozs. 2011 Classic winners Mark Tarlton and Terry Benton consistently produce hefty sacks bringing home second place with a weight of 12lbs. and 10ozs. When the dust had settled, 13 teams hit the scales for 100lbs. and 12ozs! Congratulations Mike and Ronnie and Mark and Terry! We would like to welcome Matt, Brian, Jansen and Moose to the club! Join The Carolina Crankers February 25th on Lake Wylie. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Alabama Rig Punishes Lake Tillery!
Blue skies and 65 degrees! Yes, it really is January. The Carolina Crankers started the new season with a bang this Saturday on Lake Tillery. For two months, rumors and tales of the Alabama Rig have dominated fishing news and anglers' circles. This Saturday it proved just how dangerous it can be! The powerhouse team of Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing used the rig to perfection and stiff-armed the field in The Carolina Crankers first stop of the 2012 season. The charter members leveled the competition weighing in five largemouth bass totaling 25lbs. and 12ozs! This huge January sack was anchored with the tournaments big fish weighing 6lbs. and 14ozs. Upon final totals, 12 teams stormed Lake Tillery sacking over 100lbs. for our first event! Familiar faces David and Austin grabbed second place honors with a hefty limit weighing 19lbs. and 12ozs. David and Austin anchored their sack with a 6lb. and 2oz. lunker. Thank you to all the teams and members that participated in today's event. Congratulations Mike and Ronnie! Join The Carolina Crankers on Tuckertown Reservoir February 4th.