Happy Fishgiving!
Tuckertown Reservoir was the scene for this year's 2013 Carolina Classic. 14 teams rocked the lake for a chance at that last stack of cash! This year's angling season has seen its highs and lows and today was no exception. No amount of practice seemed effective as a late cold front and rains shut-down today's bite. Some teams tried the run and gun; covering acres of water, while others patiently worked each piece of cover. By the day's end, it was the steady pace that left a smile on the face of Rick Fries! Competing solo in this season's Classic, Rick topped the field with a final limit weighing 10lbs. and 4ozs. After a strong showing this year, Tim Cauthen and Mark Tarlton kept pace with a second place finish of 10lbs. and 0ozs. But it was Jimmy Sullivan that went trophy hunting today! Working the shallows, Jimmy grabbed today's big fish with a 6lbs. and 2ozs. lunker. Congratulations to this season's champions!!! As club directors and club president; Lisa, myself, and Wayne would like to thank our members for a wonderful season. Our members make The Carolina Crankers an incredible club. Thank you everyone! We would like to invite members new and old, their families, and future Carolina Crankers looking for a club to call their own, to join us on January 4th at 7:00pm at The Golden Coral in Monroe for fun times and fish tales as we start the new year. Join The Carolina Crankers on January 11th as we kick-off 2014 on Lake Norman. Happy Fishgiving and Merry Fishmas! Until then...keep 'em hooked!!!
Last Cast!
Give me just one more cast! They always say the more time you spend with your line in the water, the better your chances. Soo... with all the opportunities, this trip to Lake Wylie proved to be the toughest of the season. After a grueling 8 hours, only 4 fish made it to the scales. Post-frontal conditions, 15mph winds and crystal clear waters delivered a knock-out blow. Taking the top spot today was the team of Wayne Snyder and Rodney May. The pair grabbed the regular season's final victory and the big fish pot with a 2lb. and 0oz. largemouth bass. Mitchell York took second place with 1lb. and 14ozs. Congratulations to this week's winners! The Carolina Crankers would like to welcome our newcomers that competed with the club this week. Welcome Tom England, Joseph Campbell and Lane Campbell. We would like to thank all our members for a great 2013 season! Good luck to all the teams scheduled to compete in "The Carolina Classic" on November 16th at Tuckertown Reservoir. We invite everyone to join The Carolina Crankers at Lake Norman on January 11th 2014 as we kick-off the new season! Until then...keep 'em hooked!!!
Bite Me Please!!!
The Carolina Crankers made their last stop at Lake Tillery for the season this week. With the summer heat in the rearview mirror, fall temperatures are here at last! Most anglers chased the fall shad run with little luck. The bite was sparse and scattered with small active pockets appearing occasionally. Once again, the majority seem to be in a state of transition only suspending in the 8 to 10 foot range. Against a tough bite, one team managed to pull a limit from the lake. Putting together impressive outings this season, the team of Mark Tarlton and Tim Cauthen have proven themselves to be the powerhouse team of the 2013 season. Tim and Mark took first place with 5 fish totaling 12lbs. and 6ozs. In a true nail-biter, big fish was decided by only 2ozs. Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing grabbed the pot with a 4lbs. and 8ozs. largemouth just besting today's second place team of Mitchell York and Jeremy Saylor. The pair brought 3 fish to the scales for 8lbs. and 2ozs. We would like to congratulate all of today's winners! The Carolina Crankers would like to welcome new members Steve Kirk and Kenith Schult. Join us as we wrap-up the 2013 regular season at Lake Wylie on November 2nd. Until then...keep 'em hooked!!!
Road Trip Anyone?
The Carolina Crankers put it on cruise control this week as we traveled to lake Wateree. After a little confusion as to which boat ramp we were using, the club hit the lake; from two different ramps! While the bank burners kept most anglers busy, quality fish were as scarce as front teeth at the WaffleHouse! I'll take mine smothered and covered! With teams covering every stretch of the lake, one quality fish took big fish honors topping out at 4lbs. and 4ozs. Today's solo lunker honors went to the team of Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing. Hauling in today's only limit was the team of Terry Benton and his partner Tim. The pair dropped 10lbs. and 4ozs. at the scales to grab today's top spot. Great job guys! As the day came to an end, the spotlight shined on only one smiling face. Kristy had shared the boat with Rick Fries today. Here she is, holding up her first largemouth bass! Congratulations Kristy! May this be the first of many to come! Join The Carolina Crankers as we travel to Lake Tillery on October 12th. Blast-off is at 8:00am. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Getting toothy with Jeremy McCains Lake Wateree Gar!
2013 Classic Update
The following chart displays anglers eligibility for this year's Carolina Classic as of November 3rd 2013. Keep in mind that boaters must fish 10 tournaments while non-boaters must fish 5. Teams with both members achieving a 10 tournament minimum, as an option, may fish solo on the day of The Classic. All non-boaters with a minimum of 5 tournaments but less than 10 tournaments must fish with their boating partner.
Boater Total to Date Non-Boater Total to Date
Rodney May 13 Lisa May 10
Tim Cauthen 11 Mark Tarlton 11
Mike Love 12 Ronnie Rushing 12
Rick Fries 11 Hazel Norwood 10
Jonathan Cook 10 Daniel Springs 6
Mitchell York 13 Jeremy Saylor 9
Terry Benton 12
Tom Streeter 11 Jimmy Sullivan 12
Tim 11 Andrew 9
Wayne Snyder 10 Jeremy Pressley 8
Ron Godfrey 10 Donna Godfrey 7
Jeremy McCain 10 Chris Shockley 9
Boater Total to Date Non-Boater Total to Date
Rodney May 13 Lisa May 10
Tim Cauthen 11 Mark Tarlton 11
Mike Love 12 Ronnie Rushing 12
Rick Fries 11 Hazel Norwood 10
Jonathan Cook 10 Daniel Springs 6
Mitchell York 13 Jeremy Saylor 9
Terry Benton 12
Tom Streeter 11 Jimmy Sullivan 12
Tim 11 Andrew 9
Wayne Snyder 10 Jeremy Pressley 8
Ron Godfrey 10 Donna Godfrey 7
Jeremy McCain 10 Chris Shockley 9
Lake Wateree Boat Ramp address is 465 Shangri-La Dr. Winnsboro SC
Blast-off is at 8:00am. See ya there!
Where's my Jacket???
The Carolina Crankers stopped at Tuckertown Reservoir this week. Most anglers never expected the first strong temperature drop of the season. At blast-off, temperatures were only in the upper fifties leaving most fisherman searching for jackets! Many teams struggled to find heavy limits this week probably due to the drop. But as the day unfolded, Tim Cauthen and Mark Tarlton had once again hit their stride. The pair crushed the field with a scale tipping limit of 21lbs. and 2ozs. Now that's a limit! Mark and Tim also took today's big fish pot with a Tuckertown chunk weighing 6lbs. and 12ozs. We would like to congratulate Tim and Mark for their victory; great job guys! Thank you to all our members that participated this week! Join us September 28th as we travel to Lake Wateree. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Like Fall at the Falls!
Fish or no fish, today was a beautiful day to be on the water! The Carolina Crankers made their very first appearance on Blewett Falls this week. Heard the rumors? Yes, they're true. You can sink a boat very quickly on this reservoir! What seems like wide open spaces barely hides the shallow hazards below. But if you're a trash fisherman that loves the thick stuff and the forests of standing timber, this is definitely the place to be. Today's weigh-in brought the rising powerhouse team of Mark Tarlton and Tim Cauthen back to the top. Tim and Mark had a five fish limit weighing 12lbs. and 4ozs. edging second place by only 4ozs. Reigning champs Jimmy Sullivan and Tom Streeter grabbed big fish honors with a 3lbs. and 14oz. largemouth. We would like to congratulate all of today's winners and thank the Carolina Crankers members that made this first trip to Blewett Falls great! Join us September 14th as we travel to Tuckertown Reservoir. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Blame it on the rain...
Yep, it's the same old broken record...rain! To be honest, the amount of rain this region has had for the past two months should have the bass running for cover. By this time next month we could probably find ourselves fishing around lawn furniture or the barbeque grill on someone's back deck! I guess on the plus side you're always fishing new waters! Lake Twitty welcomed The Carolina Crankers this Saturday for the club's last Union County outing of the season. Although rains had set in for the day, the bite was definitely strong. Anglers caught numbers this week. We all search the waters for that five fish limit but no one complains when you can catch a dozen or more! This week's shootout on Lake Twitty proved to be a good one as the team of Tom Streeter and Jimmy Sullivan crashed the scales with a hefty limit of 16lbs. and 0ozs. Tom and Jimmy also grabbed big fish honors with a 4lb. and 14oz. largemouth. The team keyed in on a strong topwater bite that escaped the grasps of other teams. Taking second place this week was the angling team of Mark Tarlton and Tim Cauthen. Tim and Mark hit the scales at 9lbs. and 14ozs. The Carolina Crankers would like to congratulate all of this week's winners. Great job guys! Join us August 31st as we head to Blewett Falls. Tournament hours will be 7:00am to 2:00pm. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Down By The Creek!
The Carolina Crankers made their first trip to Fishing Creek this Saturday. For years the club has passed by in route to Stumpy Pond and Lake Wateree. After a day of moderately strong bites, a return trip is a must! Tipping the scales at 12lbs. and 8ozs. was the tag-team of Terry Benton and Jonathan Cook. Congratulations Terry and Jonathan on today's first place finish! Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing took second place just over a pound behind the leaders while club director Lisa May and her partner Rodney took big fish honors with Lisa's 4lbs. and 9oz. largemouth. We would like to congratulate all of today's winners! Join us next month as we return to Lake Twitty. Until then... keep 'em hooked!
Check your Pockets!
Check your pockets and your wallet! The gate fee at Cane Creek charged to teams this weekend nearly equaled the first place prize! What used to be a gem and one of only two trophy lakes in North Carolina has fallen flat for the past three seasons. After another weak outing this Saturday the club has decided to remove the lake from the tournament series. Heavy weight weigh-ins are a thing of the past. Today's weights never came close to double-digits. The Carolina Crankers would like to congratulate Tim and Andrew for today's tournament victory. The pair weighed two fish for a total of 6lbs. and 12ozs. Tim and Andrew also won the tournaments big fish pot with a 4lb. and 6oz largemouth. Great job guys! Join us next month as we visit Fishing Creek. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Honey Hole!
Massive flooding around the Lake Norman area had directors second-guessing this week's event. In what seems a great decision in hindsight, The Carolina Crankers moved to Lake Lee to avoid the devastated Mountain Island area. Although Lake Lee is part of the Thursday Night Sportsmen's Series, heavy fishing pressure kept the lake off of this season's Saturday Series. True to form, the shallow water lake proved to be a goldmine! Saturday's weigh-in topped out over 155lbs. for a 15 boat field! Once again at the top of the leaderboard was the veteran team of Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing. The duo combined for a 20lbs. and 12oz. sack! Only 4lbs behind was club founder and president Wayne Snyder with 16lbs. and 8ozs. Today's big fish honors went to Corey Love and Justin Creed for a 6lbs. and 10oz. lunker. Congratulations to all of this week's winners! Join us next month as we continue at Cane Creek. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
No Place Like Home!
For many years, The Carolina Crankers have called Lake Twitty home. From the Crankers' beginnings, this wonderful Union County lake has been the cornerstone of our club. Over the years the club has grown bringing new faces to our ranks. Unfortunately, stricter regulations have limited the club's access to this beautiful resource. The Carolina Crankers would like to thank A. Killough for granting our club the opportunity to return home this week. Thirteen teams hit the lake mindful of the tournament's special stipulations. The 3pm weigh-in brought laughter and familiar faces as teams gathered at the scales. Landing on top was the angling team of Tim Cauthen and Mark Tarlton. Tim and Mark led the field with a limit of 11lbs. and 0ozs. Just ounces behind, Corey Love and his partner Jase grabbed second place with 10lbs. and 4ozs. The pair also anchored their sack with the tournament's big fish weighing 5lbs. and 4ozs. Congratulations to all of today's winners! Join The Carolina Crankers on May 18th from 7am to 1pm on Mountain Island Lake. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Sunburn Anyone?
Somebody forgot to tell mother nature about Spring! Bluebird skies and near 80 degree temperatures greeted The Carolina Crankers this week at Stumpy Pond. Hard to say whether the bass have spawned out or not when the water temperature is reading in the high 60's. However there was no sign of bed fanning on the tails of today's weigh-in. Seven teams made the trip to South Carolina this week looking for that big spring bite. The bite at Stumpy tended to be slow compared to past trips with most southern lunkers steering clear of the hooks! With a well-deserved win, Mitchell York and Jeremy Saylor topped the field with four largemouth bass totaling 10lbs. and 14ozs. Just after daybreak the duo sacked today's big fish at 4lbs. and 0ozs. Just a pound behind, the team of Hazel Norwood and Rick Fries grabbed second place with triplets weighing 9lbs. and 10ozs. We would like to congratulate Mitchell and Jeremy for their first victory of the 2013 season. Join us this Thursday as we kick-off our 2013 Sportsman's Series on Lake Monroe. Blast-off is at 4:30pm! The Crankers Saturday Series continues in two weeks as we visit Lake Twitty on April 27th. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Dodging the Bullet!
The phone kept ringing this week. "How about this weekend?" Everyone was watching the dismal weather pattern stacking up for Saturday's trip to Tuckertown. Hourly radar updates made this week's tournament appear a crap-shoot at best. Set for an 8:00am blast-off, anglers were surprised at the sleet bouncing from the decks of the boats! Then it stopped... Now what? 70 degrees and blue-bird skies for practice becomes gray skies and 40 degree highs by noon. Drop back and punt? Call an audible? No, break out that Alabama Rig and throw it till your arm falls off! No denying it, you can throw one bait and catch a few or you can throw the whole school and fill the boat! Today was no exception. As the parade of anglers hit the scales it became obvious throw it to win or just feed the pot! Don't know whether to ban it or bronze it! Today's heavy weight sack belonged to Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing. Mike and Ronnie buried the scales with a five fish limit totaling 19lbs. and 4ozs. Club president Wayne Snyder and his partner Jeremy Pressley grabbed second place with five fish weighing 16lbs. and 4ozs. Wayne and Jeremy also brought in the tournament's big fish. Their Tuckertown lunker topped out at 6lbs. and 6ozs. The Carolina Crankers would like to congratulate this week's winners! Join us April 13th as we continue our series at Stumpy Pond. Blast-off is at 7:00am. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Showtime!
Spring is knocking on the door! The Carolina Crankers were blessed with beautiful weather this week on Lake Wylie. After three straight weekends of rain or snow, sometimes both, temperatures climbed to the mid-sixties this Saturday. Fourteen teams hit the lake for an 8:00am blast-off. Most teams managed just a handful of bites from the winter-chilled waters. At day's end only three teams had taken their limit. On top for their first victory with The Carolina Crankers, was the team of Hazel Norwood and Rick Fries. Rick and Hazel weighed-in 5 largemouth totaling 12lbs. and 12ozs. They also took today's big fish honors with a 4lb. and 10oz. bass. Never far from the top, Mike Love and his partner Todd grabbed second place with a 5 fish limit topping out at 11lbs. and 0ozs. We would like to congratulate Hazel and Rick for winning their first tournament with The Carolina Crankers! Great job guys! Congratulations also go out to Mike and Todd for their performance today! Join The Carolina Crankers March 23rd as we continue the 2013 season at Tuckertown Reservoir. Blast-off is at 8:00am! Until then...keep 'em hooked!
The Color-Selector Says What?
The Carolina Crankers made its' second stop of the 2013 season this Saturday on Lake Tillery. The pros can tell you what to fish in stained water, but today it was every angler for himself! Late week rains diminished water visibility to six inches or less. Anglers ran for the far reaches of Lake Tillery trying to avoid the muddy conditions that stretched from cove to cove. 15 teams competed for today's top spot but only one would achieve a limit. The Dynamic Duo of Mike Love and Ronnie Rushing had managed a full sack! Some call them Batman and Robin, but on a day like today, I would call them "Bass Whisperers." Mike and Ronnie dropped 5 Lake Tillery largemouth bass on the scales for a total of 12lbs. and 10ozs. Today's tournament brought the familiar faces of Rick and Hazel Norwood to the scales in second place with three fish totaling 8lbs. and 12ozs. Rick commented that unfortunately Hazel seems to disappear when the camera comes out but never disappoints when the prize is awarded! Several new teams joined us this week on the lake. It was the father-son team of Pete and Jordan Taylor that dominated the scales for today's Big Fish Pot! Pete and Jordan took the pot with a 6lb. and 4oz. lunker! The Carolina Crankers would like to congratulate today's tournament winners and welcome everyone that participated! Join us February 23rd as we continue the 2013 season on Blewett Falls. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Blast Off!
It's official, the 2013 season has begun! This week The Carolina Crankers made their first trip to Lake Norman. Now that's a big lake! The Carolina Crankers were one of three bass clubs blasting out of The Pinnacle Shores landing. It seems for most anglers there were plenty of "bullets" for everyone. Not many lakes give up so many thin fish. Last weekend's unseasonably warm weather was all but forgotten as anglers hit the lake. However, temperatures slowly eased to the mid 50's. The 4pm weigh-in confirmed that every team had a sucessfull day. Standing on top was the team of Tim Cauthen and Mark Tarlton. Tim and Mark managed the tournament's only limit, topping out at 12lbs. and 0ozs. The pair also anchored their winning sack with the tournament's big fish. The team's Lake Norman lunker weighed in at 4lbs. and 14ozs. We would like to congratulate Mark and Tim for the first win of the 2013 season! The Carolina Crankers would like to formally welcome new members Brandon and Jennifer to our club. We would also like to remind everyone that The Carolina Crankers are an open club and all are welcome! Fish a little or fish a lot, we invite everyone to call the club their home! Join us February 9th as we continue the new season at Lake Tillery. Until then...keep 'em hooked!
Here Fishy Fishy!
Thankfully none of our club members are Mayan! Everyone is still accounted for! The Carolina Crankers are blessed with another wonderful tournament season. Only two months ago we wrapped up the 2012 schedule; but honestly I can not wait to get on the water! All the tackle has been sorted and the boats have been prepped. Smiling faces from long time friends break the winter chill on even the coldest days. Whether you are a long-time member or a new angler looking for a new club, The Carolina Crankers are the best group of friends I know. We would like to invite everyone to join us as we kick-off the 2013 season. Join The Carolina Crankers on January 19th as we make our first trip to Lake Norman. We will launch from the Pinnacle Shores landing at 8:00am and weigh-in will begin at 4:00pm. Check out our site for tournament schedules and ramp information. Until then...keep 'em hooked!