Bost Team Wins Fishers Of Men State Championship
March 6, 2010
By Mike Sides

On Saturday March 6th 2009, the fourth annual NC Fishers Of Men National Bass Tournament Trail State Championships was held on Lake Norman. Twenty adult teams qualified to fish. Cold Weather began the day, but warmer weather ended the day.

Eighteen teams were able to make the trip to the scales that were located at Bass Pro Shops in Concord NC. Host Hank Parker Jr. kept the crowd entertained with his wit and knowledge. Each team was pulled through the weigh-in in a Toyota Tundra, supplied by Toyota of Concord, and Nitro boats supplied by Bass Proshops. $250 was donated John Snincak, Regional Director, of Fishers Of Men.

Rocky Socks presented the first place award money of $1000 to Richard and Wayne Bost of Salisbury NC with a winning weight of 10.76 pounds. They also received $250 donated by Bass Proshops for the biggest fish of 4.89 pounds.

Second Place went to Mark Piercy and Jack Bonner, who won $200, while Third Place went to Bob Groom and Larry Schmidt, who won $100.. The top Director Championship went to Mike Sides.

The crowd was rewarded for showing up with tons of door prizes thrown out by the Anglers. “We would like to thank all the people who volunteered to help,” stated Sides, “especially Jon Morgan, who basically directed the event allowing The Directors to fish.”

The Fishers of Men Piedmont Division began its 2010 season in February. Their next event is schedule for March 20 on Lake Wylie. To learn how you can join in, contact Sides at 704-239-4097 or visit the F.O.M. Web site at www.fomntt.com.  A schedule of info is also posted on the Fishbyte.net Calendar and Forums.

FLW Event Ticket Fundraiser Available Again This Year
March 26 – 27, 2010

Need a fundraiser for your fishing group, organization, or club? The FLW event on Lake Norman in March may be a great way to raise some easy cash. According to Scott Ellison, FLW Outdoors Community Relations Manager, the national competition will utilize an attendance strategy begun the year before that helped area clubs raise funds.

“We are looking for groups in the surrounding area to distribute tickets to our event as a fundraiser for their organization,” stated Ellison last week. “We will be conducting our ticket fund-raising program again this year and would like to invite you to participate.”

The program is a simple one. Clubs contact Ellison, who in turn ships tickets for them to distribute. Each ticket is numbered and clubs get funds for each ticket used. Ellison can be reached at outreach@flwoutdoors.com or 270.252.1584 to arrange for tickets.  The FLW also offers complimentary booth space at the show if your group participates.

FLW Outdoors, the largest fishing tournament organization in the world, will be returning to North Carolina for the FLW Tour and the Family Fun Zone and Outdoor Expo March 26 and 27 at the Cabarrus Arena and Convention Center. Times are Friday 5pm - 9pm and Saturday doors open at 10am. Weigh-in begins at 4 pm.

The Family Fun Zone and Outdoor Expo have a new look this year with an enhanced overall outdoor theme. The Expo will feature FREE admission, games for youth, outdoor exhibitors, family entertainment, a professional fishing tournament and stage show.

“We believe that outdoor activities such as fishing, hunting, and shooting sports are the ultimate expression of wholesome family fun,” stated Ellison. “It is a great way to bond with children and introduce them to activities they can enjoy throughout their lives.”

FLW BFL NC Division Headed To Norman
Story Courtesy of FLW Outdoors
http://bfl.flwoutdoors.com/article.cfm?id=150674

TERRELL, N.C. – The FLW Bass Fishing League is headed to Lake Norman Feb. 13 for the first of five stops in the North Carolina Division series. As many as 400 pro and co-anglers will be competing for top awards of up to $8,000 and $3,000, respectively.

“There has been a lot of rain in the area which has really muddied the water,” said FLW Tour pro Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N. C., who has two top-10 finishes including a win at Lake Norman. “Anglers will want to look for the ‘hot holes’ and fish slow and shallow. Ramsey Creek and near the 150 Bridge should be full of fish as the water tends to be a little warmer in those areas. Crankbaits around rocks should work well.”

Anglers will take off from Midway Marina located at 8693 Highway 150 East in Terrell, N.C., at 7:00 a.m. Weigh-in will be held at Midway Marina as well beginning at 3:00 p.m. Takeoffs and weigh-ins are free and open to the public.

Bass Fishing League competition is a 24-division league circuit devoted to weekend anglers, that offers even bigger prizes to regional championship qualifiers and those who make it to one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the American Fishing Series or even the FLW Tour.

About FLW Outdoors

FLW Outdoors, named after Forrest L. Wood, the legendary founder of Ranger Boats, is the largest fishing tournament organization in the world offering anglers worldwide the opportunity to compete for millions over the course of 189 tournaments in 2010. FLW Outdoors has also taken fishing mainstream with FLW Fantasy Fishing awarding the largest prizes in the history of fantasy sports. FLW Outdoors memberships are available featuring numerous benefits including Player’s Advantage. For more information about FLW Outdoors and its tournaments, call (270) 252-1000. For more information about FLW Fantasy Fishing, visit FantasyFishing.com. 

Haywood Team Wins 4th Annual Ryan Newman Event
December 13, 2009

Martin Truex Jr. (left) check in with Ryan Newman

One hundred thirty eight boat teams turned out in temperatures in the mid-twenties to find bass on Lake Norman and help the Ryan Newman Foundation this past weekend. After many months of planning and preparation for the Saturday  tournament and the dinner and charity auction the evening before held at the Newman Farm in Statesville, anglers blasted off from the Queen's Landing in Mooresville on the north end of the lake.

Although Chris and Matt Haywood stole the show with seventeen plus pounds of bass at the 3 PM weigh in, NASCAR celebrities and a country recording star joined in as well. At stake for a winning team was Ryan Newman's 2009 Z-520 fully-loaded and equipped Ranger bass boat (with 100th Anniversary 250 Evinrude E-TEC, Hydraulic 8" Jack Plate, 2- Hummingbird 767 depth finders, Minn-Kota 101 Trolling Motor, Remote Oil Fill and Tandem Axle Ranger Trail Trailer, all valued at  $45,000). Lake Norman, a North Carolina lake that produces less than others in the state, did not disappoint. Team after team made a run for the top prizes with many bag weights in excess of ten pounds in five fish. The event was facilitated by Ranger Boats and FLW Outdoors.

Racing legend Bobby Allison came out to support the event

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman and his wife, Krissie, established the Ryan Newman Foundation in January 2005. The mission of the foundation is to educate and encourage people to spay/neuter their pets and to adopt dogs and cats from animal shelters; to educate children and adults about the importance of conservation so the beauty of the great outdoors can be appreciated by future generations; and to provide college scholarship funding through the Rich Vogler Scholarship program to students interested in auto racing careers.

On hand to help out were NASCAR drivers Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, and Kevin Harvick, as well as NASCAR legend, Bobby Allsion. Bridgette Tatum, a country music star with various titles and #1 hits on her resume, performed at the Friday evening event and fished in the Saturday effort. These anglers, paired with a variety of professional anglers from the FLW, weighed in separately at 4 PM.

For more information about the Ryan Newman Foundation, visit www.ryannewmanfoundation.org.