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NBC Yadkin Crew Hauls 23 Plus Out Of Tillery
June 20, 2009
With winning bass bags averaging 16 pounds across North Carolina lakes, something had to give, and that fracture finally happened when the National Bass Circuit's Yadkin Division stormed onto Lake Tillery Saturday. Twenty two boat teams used Cook's Landing on the west side of the waters, and one boat would come back seven hours and fifteen minutes later with over 23 pounds of bass in the livewell.
“I'm always glad to bring this crew to Tillery,” stated Director Scott Turner. “These are, without a doubt, the best anglers there is on the Yadkin Chain and they always seem to score big here.” Turner must have figured the below-normal catches being reported by so many tournaments would be shattered that day, and his crew of anglers was up to the challenge. At the 5:45 AM blast off, most teams pointed their craft south, preferring the many coves and creeks that flow into Tillery lower on the lake. A number of teams headed north where waters were reported to be much murkier and debris was widespread.
In the first hour or so, a number of boats reported bite was on, flipping docks on the east side below Highway 24/27. Small coves seemed to be where the action was happening. Then, as is often the case, bass moved on as the sun rose and it was up to the competitors to find just where they went for the day. Many fishermen turned their backs on the shorelines and began fishing the 8 to 15 foot depths offshore. A few worked points, but waves from an increasing pile of recreational boats and jet skis made that a bumpy ride.
Four other tournaments were scattered across Tillery, with three using the Swift Island Access and one at the Lilly's Bridge Landing. In all, an estimated eighty-plus bass boats, along with numerous “just bass fishing”, craft packed all the best holes. Fishing pressure was about as high as it could be and netting anything beyond 15 in 5 would take a casting miracle.
At the 3 PM weigh in, four of the top five boats did work that miracle, walking superb limits to the scales, three above the 20 pound mark. Dwayne Saunders and Scott Threadgill, no strangers to Tillery, had a lock on the largemouth no one else could match. The pair tricked 23.62 pounds during the day, bringing in an 8.02 pound Big Fish in the stuffed livewell. For those two wins, they split the $1010 and $200 Big Fish prizes.
Just a good cast behind them was a perennial favorite team in any tournament on Tillery or Badin. Greg Gooch and Gary Abbott teamed up again to find 22.22 pounds of green fin, by far enough to tie up second place. The team split the $625 that showing earned them.
If the competition wasn't tough enough already, Buzz Dunlap and Benny Blake joined the crowd of boats in the morning, adding one more barrier for all others to overcome that day. The pair did step into third place, just breaking the 20 pound mark, with a 20.62 pound showing. Third place paid $400.
Kevin Chandler and Terry James, another team that has earned many a prize purse this season, came up a pound shy of the two decade mark. Their 19.02 pounds was enough to nail down fourth place and the $300 that came with it. They also added Second Big Fish with a 7.37 pounder that paid an additional $80.
Rounding out the top five in the best-of competition was Tommy Roach and Carrol Lambert. The pair put 14.45 pounds in the livewell to earn the $200 purse. Roach owns the newly-opened Badin Lakes Boating Center near the intersection of Highways 49 and 8 and is the only Legend Bass Boat dealer in the state.
“I knew these guys were gonna change things up today,” smiled Turner. “There's no way you can put this much fishing talent on any lake and not see results.” The NBC Yadkin Division is one of a number of series Turner directs. For more information about this and his other competitions, contact Turner at 704-791-4210 or 800-230-4236, or visit his web site at www.national-bass.com. Schedules and information are also posted on the Fishbyte.net Forums and Calendar.