Archive
Powell (Snuggs) One-on-One Tournament
2010
Weddington Wins One-On-One Opener On Tillery
February 28, 2010
Yet another lackluster bass competition resulted in one fish being caught Sunday. The Powell One-On-One Trail headed to Lake Tillery for its season opener and it appeared to be a great start to the season when twelve boats showed up for the first event. It all went downhill from there.
Steve Powell took over for Harold Snuggs in the one-on-one competition over the winter months. All the regulars showed up on a day that was sunny, but very windy. The competition has been hitting the local waters for over thirty years, fishing the last Sunday of each month from February through an end of November Fish Off.
Randy Weddington managed to find the only fish caught during the eight hours of effort. His 2.7 pounder, caught in the channel leading from Swift Island to the lake, won both first place and Big Fish, earning him $180. The monies for second and third places will go to the November 28th Fish Off, a choice made by those fishing Sunday... given the low catch.
The series will move to Badin's Alcoa landing March 28th for a 7 AM to 3 PM day. The group requires a $20 membership fee and cost to fish is just $30 with a $5 Big Fish pot.
For more information and to join, call Powell at 704-857-0890. Details are available on the Fishbyte.net Calendar and Forums.
2009
One-On-One Competition Heats Up Despite Weather
As the first rain squalls began to sweep violently across the Swift Island Landing area about 7 AM, Harold Snuggs, the Director of the small, local one-on-one tournament said it might put a damper on his turnout. The group consists of a minimum of ten friends who like to fish and compete together.
It must have been that friendship that made everyone roll out of bed, hook up the boat trailers, and head for Tillery Feb. 22nd, because it sure wasn't the promise of good fishing weather. All nine boats blasted off at 8 AM right on schedule.
In the end, it was Josh Brady of Rockwell who took home first prize, boating 14.8 pounds of bass and pocketing $100.00.
Big Fish honors also went to Jason Brady with a nice 6.2 pounder and earned him $50. Second place went to Ronnie Smith of Chine Grove with eleven pounds, earning $59, while third place honors was netted by Steve Powell of Chine Grove with 8.4 pounds, earning him $30.
“I didn't expect all of us to be here this morning” said Snuggs,”but these guys just wanna fish.” It was the kick-off event for the group, which holds Sunday tournaments into November on lakes of the Yadkin chain. They blast off the last Sunday of every month (see the Fishbyte.net calendar for details). The group has been competing together for over 30 years, with many of the present members competing for nearly all that time.
“It won't be too long before summer will be here,” said Steve Powell, Snugg's Co-Director. “This weather just makes us like the hot weather!” he laughed.
Brady has been fishing with the group for about five years. “I got lucky,” he said. “I got the big one right off on a crankbait. I decided I wanted to get out of the wind and didn't expect any fish there.”
'There were waves on top of waves out there today!” someone laughed. The group all agreed you couldn't keep a boat over a spot on the Montgomery side, but had a little more luck holding steady on the Stanly banks. To put an exclamation point on the day, just as weigh-in was ending, a bald eagle flew over the landing, swirling about in the wind just overhead. “Watch him catch Big Fish,” said Snuggs.
Snuggs and Powell One-on-One Braves Badin Winds
March 29, 2009
After two days of rain and fog, Sunday, March 29th had it's own curve to throw at the Snuggs and Powell One-On-One competition at Badin's Alcoa Landing. Winds gusting to 40 mph kept anglers off points and wherever they could stay out of it.
According to series director, Harold Snuggs, the wind and waves got pretty fierce about 1 PM. “The main channel was almost off limits,” said Snuggs. “If there were fish there, few went after them.”
The five-fish competition fielded 13 boats for the 7 AM Blast Off. Most boats landed from two to five fish by weigh in time at 3 PM. Josh Brady of Rockwell managed to ply the waters with the most success, weighing in 17.6 pounds as well as capturing the Big Fish award with a 6 pound bass.
“I caught that big one just 15 minutes ago,” exclaimed Brady. “It was pretty nasty out there.” According to Brady, he worked most of the day with crankbaits and spinners and stayed in the main channel, taking the battering winds in order to score high. “It wasn't until I decided to tackle the wind that I really found bites,” he stated. “I caught four in the last hour on a shaky head.” That strategy proved to be enough to lead to a $130 payday for Brady. He added another $65 for Big Fish.
Capturing second spot was Ronnie Saunders with 16 pounds and five fish. His pay off was $65. Rodney Poole landed 12.3 pounds and found himself in third after a long day. He won $39.
The one-on-one series moves to Tuckertown on April 26th. Contact information and a complete schedule can be found on the Fishbyte.Net Calendar.
Kistler Takes Badin One-On-One Competition
July 26, 2009
The first handful of anglers who came to the scales, or didn't bother, had found fishing for bass on Badin next to impossible last Sunday. After half the field of thirteen boats had reported in, the top combined weight was still under two pounds. They reported throwing everything and anything at the fish in every known hole and nothing worked. Finally, the last few competitors carried their catch to the weigh in area at Alcoa.
It wasn't a day most will care to remember, but John Kistler will add it to his wins and placements for the season. The angler carried 13 pounds 11 ounces to the scales to win the eight hour event. His biggest fish, a 4.4 pounder, just missed being Big Fish for the day. Kistler has been in the money in a few other club tournaments in the region recently.
“I caught four of these in the grass along the edge,” reported Kistler. Up and down the lake, competitors were working the edges with no luck, sliding up to the many areas where grass was growing out into the waters. One of only a couple boaters who brought in the limit of five on the day, Kistler stated that he had caught only one of his fish on a crankbait. That was enough for the first place, a $130 payday.
Following Kistler to the scales and placing second when all weights were in was a visiting Ron Woffard. The once resident of the area came back to fish with his friends, something he doesn't get to do much anymore. He showed them he still knew the lakes and brought in 7 pounds 13 ounces on a day when catching even one was a good thing. His visit earned him a $65 pot.
Just an ounce away from Woffard was Jeremy Talbert, who managed to find Big Fish for the day. His combined total weight of 7 pounds 12 ounces included a 4 pound 7 ounce bass that no one could best. He earned $39 for the third place showing and $65 for Big Fish.
A tournament series over thirty years in existence, events are held on either Badin, Tuckertown, or Tillery on the last Sunday of each month from February through October. The group holds a Fish Off in November. Club members will move to Tuckertown and the Flat Creek Access on August 30. They will fish from 6:30 AM to 2:30 PM.
For more information about the group, contact director Harold Snuggs at 704-982-1300.
Kistler Wins 1–On-1 Final Event And Championship
November 29, 2009
As club after club wind down their regular seasons, all but a few are left roaming the waters after large mouth prizes. Yet another Yadkin River Chain group ended its 2009 season this past weekend when the Snuggs & Powell 1-On-1 held its Fish Off at Badin and the Alcoa Landing on Sunday. Ten boats qualified for the final outing.
At the 8 AM Blast Off, John Kistler led all competitors with 81.1 pounds of fish caught in the nine previous events. Hot on his fins were Co-Director Steve Powell and Randy Weddington, both with just over 73 and 72 pounds respectively. Those three had a shot at the $250 Season Championship weight race, although a reasonable outing by Kistler would sew it up.
The final event and Fish Off for the group had a purse worth $1,640 to fight for. Just the day before at 4 PM, members met at the Highway 49 Sports Shop to draw for the lake the next day. The strategy meant no one could pre-fish a lake, leaving no one at a disadvantage.
As anglers approached the weigh in at 4 PM, only a few had managed the five-fish limit. Steve Powell kicked things off with a 10.12 pound, five-fish sack drawn from the muddy waters. That sack turned out to be good enough for third place and $290 for the day.
Kistler was next to the scales with what appeared to be an even healthier bag. The first fish weighed was a 5.9 pounder that ended the day as Big Fish worth $100. Four more toads came from Kistler's bag adding nearly nine more pounds to the total weight. His 14.13 pounds won first place and the $600 Fish Off prize money.
Larry Stauch was one of the final competitors to come to the scales, knocking Randy Weddington's 10.4 pounds and Powell's weight to the side. Stauch grabbed 12.9 pounds to slide into second on the day, winning $400.
As final weights were calculated, there was no question Kistler had taken the Championship. His day's outing extended his lead, making it a 95.4 pound season total. Powell added less than a pound to his second place, season position, beating Weddington overall by a keeper's weight.
The competition for the group begins in February and costs $30 an event plus a $5 Big Fish pot. The club membership as only $20 for the 2009 season. Anglers fish the four main bodies of water on the Yadkin Chain. For more information about the group's 2010 season, contact Harold Snuggs at 704-982-1300. The group has been in action for 30 years.