Archive
Randolph Team Trail Invitational
2010
Randolph Opens Season On Lethargic Bass
February 21, 2010
Like all the bass clubs opening last weekend, the Randolph Invitational Team Trail scheduled their first event during one of the worst fishing time-slots experienced in recent years. A total of nineteen boat teams and thirty-eight anglers managed just four fish during an eight-hour siege on Lake Tillery Sunday.
“I've never seen it this bad,” stated Steve Singleton as he assisted Director Don Hughes at weigh in. “We get some nice weather for a change and there's no bite.”
Four different teams brought in the four bass that were found, making overall success a washout. “If you caught anything today, that was a major thing to celebrate,” stated Hughes. The invitational club out of Randolph County usually beats up on bass wherever they go and are noted as one of the most competitive non-affiliated trails in the region.
Leroy Poole and Jimmy Bowman found the largest solo, a hefty 6.12 pounder that instantly became Big Fish on the day. Andy Darnell and Ken Wall placed second with their 4.5 pounder, while Rick Mullins and Randy Peters finished third with a 1.14 pounder. Fourth went to Mark Beck and Barry Cranford for their 1.12 pound bass.
The club travels to Falls Lake for their next event on March 21. They will use the Ledge Rock landing, fishing from 7 AM to 3 PM. Hughes can be contact at 336-318-5269 for more information. The complete schedule is posted on the Fishbyte.net Calendar and Forums.
2009
Randolph Team Trail Invitational Kicks It Off in the Wind
Ricky Bryant and Rick Mullins were glad they fought the Tillery winds all day on February 22. Their sailing and fishing efforts netted them top honors in the 2009 season kick-off event of the Randolph Team Trail Invitational Club. The boat team hauled in 16.2 pounds of fish and walked away with $455.
According to Co-Director, Don Hughes, the club usually has around 25 boats. An hour before launch, even as the first rains and winds kicked up, he remained optimistic. “These guys turn out, even on days like this,” he stated. He was right. Twenty six boats rolled into Swift Island Landing and all were headed for Blast Off by 8 AM. The last boat out (see photo front page) carried fishermen as excited to be on the water as the organizers were. Hughes and tournament assistant, Jason Riggs, not to be outdone, joined the last of the group going out of sight.
For the most, all reported conditions were poor for fishing, with winds hammering all sides of the lake. “There wasn't any place to get out of it,” reported David Hilton, the Big Fish winner of the day. His seven pound four ounce bass let him pocket a $250 take home prize.
Second place winners, Todd Gregory and David Hilton Jr., netted 15.3 pounds and took home $227. “Usually you need more pounds than that to win this thing, but I'm happy with that today,” said Gregory with a grin.
The Team Trail, based out of Randolph County, competes on the Yadkin chain from February into October (see Fishbyte.net Calendar for schedule). Blast off times vary depending on the month.
Co-Director, Steve Gardner, seemed pleased with the kick-off event, despite the weather. “It'll get better,” he stated. “Their tough. The summer heat is worse.”
Although not all boat teams participating weighed in bass, a majority of them did. One competitor, hunched against the wind, commented,”What did work yesterday, didn't work today. You just never know.” Most reported action on the points, where the wind wouldn't let them stay.
The Team Trail finds the group at Badin Lake next on March 15. They hit the waters on Sundays once a month.
Twenty Four Randolph Team Trail Boats Attack Badin
Call it dedication, call it crazy, but 24 teams from the Randolph Team Trail hit the waters of Badin this past Sunday, March 15th for their second event of the season. It wasn't a picture-perfect weekend for bass fishing, but the below-normal temps and steady rain didn't make this group think twice about competing. Half the boats weighed in fish at the end.
It took 22 pounds 11 ounces of fish to win, and fishing partners Leroy Poole and Jim Bowman, walked away with the first-place bragging rights. “Boy, that was fun. Now if I can just get the feeling back in my hands,” said a smiling winner, Bowman. The team competition uses a six-fish limit.
Blast off was delayed for 30 minutes as a heavy cloud cover and rains kept the skies too dark for a safe start. “Looks like we won't get started until 7:30,” Steve Gardner, club co-director told the group as they packed under the registration tent. “No sense hustling out there and getting hurt. We'll wait for 30 minutes until safe-light,” he stated. None of the 24 teams complained. Twenty minutes later fishermen headed for the lake and a flurry of trucks launched fishing boats into the water. At 7:30 on the dot, the number one boat roared off.
By 3 PM, boat after boat flew into view towards the Circle Drive Landing. Early landers, Gene Hardister and Jeff Allen felt pretty good. “We probably caught 20 fish,” stated Hardister. “We got into them early and they were really hitting.” They were betting their catch would be enough. The 22 pounds 7 ounces was enough to take second place. “I fished Tillery yesterday,” smiled Hardister. “I'm ready to go home.”
Third place finishers were Tony Waterhouse and Jerry Bono with 20 pounds 15 ounces, while Darrell Crumbley and Mike Riggs netted 17 pounds 4.6 ounces. Poole and Bowman also took Big Fish honors with a 5 pound 15 ounce bass. Second Big Fish winners were Watehouse and Bono.
The Randolph Team Trail moves on to Tuckertown next on April 26th. They will launch from the Flat Creek Landing at 6 AM and weigh in at 3 PM. For more information about the club, contact the co-directors Don Hughes at 336-318-5269 or Steve Gardner at 336-798-2801.
Clay and Singleton Win at Tuckertown With 20 Plus 11
April 26, 2009
Tuckertown behaved about as well as her sister lake a few miles south this past Saturday, but the team of Jerry Clay and Steve Singleton of the Randolph Team Tournament Trail found the key. The pair netted over 20 pounds of bass in about 9 hours of fishing on one of the hottest days of the season.
Trail members kicked off the day shortly after daylight and plunged into Tuckertown's stump filled waters and far back into the creeks. By 3 PM weigh in, most came up short on the six-fish limit and on weights. First and second place became a horse race as the team of Pete Morris and Buzz Dunlap finished just 2 ounces behind the first place team.
“It was hot out there today,” stated co-organizer Steve Gardner. Most others agreed and it showed. With the fast changeover in temps from near-winter weather to early summer heat, many pleasure fishermen spent only a few hours on the water before returning o the docks. All reported few fish and a lot of heat. The Trail competitors stayed out through it hoping to be a contender.
Clay and Singleton landed 20 pounds 11 ounces while Morris and Dunlap found 20 pounds 9 ounces. The third and fourth place slots were also up for grabs and tight as Ronnie McBride and Joe Reynolds grabbed 15 pounds 13 ounces and team mates Matt Henley and Justin Wood hooked 15 pounds 9 ounces.
Randolph Team Tournament Trail moves on to High Rock on May 24th, fishing from 6 AM to 2:30 PM and leaving from the Southmont Landing. For more information, contact tournament co-organizers Steve Gardner at 336-798-2801 or Don Hughes at 336-318-5269. A complete schedule can be found in the Fishbyte.net Forums under Outings and Events or by going to the Calendar.
High Rock No Match for Sunday Randolph Trail Assault
May 24, 2009
If anyone thought the previous day's tournaments grabbed the best and biggest bass from High Rock, the Randolph Team Trail Invitational proved them wrong Sunday, May 24th. Twenty-seven boats from the monthly series launched into the rain from the Southmont Landing at safelight and brought in bag weights to match all, showing there were plenty of fighters still left in the lake.
All four top paying positions broke the 21 pound barrier in the six fish limit competition with a 3.6 pound average weight per fish brought to the scales. First place finishers, Nick House and Scott Shannon dragged 22 pounds 8 ounces to the weigh in scales at the 2:30 PM end time. Their average fish weight was 3.75 pounds. They also bagged Second Big Fish with a 5 pound 14 ounce fin.
Water levels continued to remain high during the Memorial Weekend Holiday, although plenty of water was flowing into and out of the hydro lake. Anglers who fished in both the Saturday and Sunday events estimated levels had dropped about 4 inches. Debris remained heavy on the water's surface, but recreational traffic was way down, most likely due to weather conditions. Until about an hour before weigh in, numerous rain storms ran up the lake all day.
Mike Miller and Maurice Freeze ran a close second to the first place team. They boated 22 pounds 6 ounces, just 2 ounces off the winning pace. Third place was won by Ken Wall and Andy Darnell who found 21 pounds 11 ounces during their time on the water. Fourth place, the final paying position, was grabbed by Eric Moser and Tracy Smith who bagged 21 pounds 5 ounces. Top Big Fish was caught by Ralph Nolan of the Nolan and Jerry Clay team.
The Randolph Team Trail Invitational returns to High Rock's Southmont Landing on June 28th for a 6 AM to 2 PM event. The Club will hold a Fish Off October 4th from 8 AM to 3:30 PM. For more information about the club, contact the co-directors Don Hughes at 336-318-5269 or Steve Gardner at 336-798-2801.
Motsinger and Rothrock Win Randolph Team Trail Event
June 28, 2009
Most clubs would have dreaded coming to a lake where 127 boats and 254 Walmart BFL anglers had been just the day before, but not the competitors of the Randolph Team Trail. The club puts at least 25 boat teams on every lake they visit and those teams represent some of the best anglers from across all clubs in the state. They were up for the challenge and represented themselves well, yet again.
High Rock lake was the scene of the June event for the group. They teams met at the Southmont Landing Access site early in the morning and slipped out just after 5:30 AM. The Walmart BFL had brought in 20 plus pound bags the day before, and this crew wanted to prove under tough conditions there were more to be had. Earlier the day before at about 1 PM, as the pond sat at near top levels, two chutes in the dam opened and water began to move again. Levels at the next lake down in the chain, Tuckertown Reservoir, had dropped three feet over the past few days. Water temps hovered between 81 and 84 degrees.
As the scales opened and anglers began bringing bags to the scales, Micky Motsinger and Eric Rothrock were one of the first to weigh in. “We had 21.12 pounds of fish, but I'm not sure that'll do it today against these guys,” stated Motsinger. Their 5.9 pound solo fish was good , but probably wouldn't hold up. The pair stood close by, eying each bag that walked in, as weights were called out. Their anxiousness grew as tough competitors came one by one to the area.
Ken Wall and Andy Darnell hauled in a 20.13 pound bag, while Tracy Smith and Eric Moser carried in a hundredth of an ounce less. Motsinger and Rothrock didn't relax a bit. Smith and Moser had topped their biggest fish with a 6.9 pounder, but total weight held on.
A final pair approached the scales with what appeared to be the last significant bag weight of the day. Todd Gregory and David Hilton poured their catch into the draining basket, but could only push the scales up to 17.12 pounds. Motsinger and Rothrock had hung onto top spot on the day amidst very tough competition. Wall and Darnell grabbed second, while Smith and Moser added third place to their Big Fish award that day. Gregory and Hilton landed the final paying position of fourth.
The Randolph Team Trail entered 26 boats in the event that has a six-fish limit.
The next event on the group's schedule has them hauling to Tuckertown Reservoir on July 19th from 6 AM to 2 PM. They will use the Flat Creek Access Area. The Club will hold a Fish Off October 4th from 8 AM to 3:30 PM. For more information about the club, contact the co-directors Don Hughes at 336-318-5269 or Steve Gardner at 336-798-2801.
Editor's Note: Special thanks goes out to all the Randolph Team Trail members for taking special care of fish after the event. It was a tough day to keep 'em healthy. Most notable were Orlando Giles and Steve Singleton who spent countless time working with the fish, getting them upright and swimming again. They're real sportsmen!
Moser and Smith Pull 25-Plus To Win Randolph Event
July 19, 2009
It was going to take a club whose anglers run consistently tough on the bass to crack the lower-than-normal weights being scored this July across North Carolina. The Randolph Team Trail Invitational stepped up on Sunday, July 19th, to show all they were the anglers getting the task done. A winning bag weight with six fish averaging 4.19 pounds apiece, and three other teams scoring a three-plus pound per fish average, was a shout out to all other anglers in the region. The club's anglers are tough on bass.
The sixth in a nine event season, Tuckertown's bass were the victims this month. The club used the Flat Creek Access, blasting off at safelight and fishing until 2 PM. Twenty one boat teams competed in weather that saw below normal temps, about 85 degrees, at weigh in. A steady breeze blew across the waters. For the first time in weeks, temperatures were rather cool in the morning. At approximately 10:30 AM the day before, the utility company controlling the waters began to pull water hard. While it affected bite on Saturday, bass had geared up and gotten hungry by Sunday.
Eric Moser and Tracy Smith lead all competitiors with a 25.14 pound bag at the scales. Their haul also included Big Fish for the day, a solid catch weighing 5 pounds 11 ounces.
Second place winners were Dwayne Saunders and Scott Threadgill, a team that consistently leads the way in competitions. They netted 22 pounds 1 ounce from the Tuckertown waters. Darrell Crumley and Mike Riggs placed third with the final twenty pound bag. Their catch weighed 20 pounds 15 ounces.
Nick House and Scott Shannon were right on their heels with 19 pounds 11 ounces for fourth place. Second Big Fish honors went to Riggs and Crumley, who bagged a 5 pound 3 ounce prize.
The club returns to Badin and the Circle Drive Landing on August 16th, starting the day at 6 AM and returning to the landing at 2 PM. For more information about the group, contact Directors Don Hughes at 336-318-5269 or Steve Gardner at 336-798-2801. Information and schedule events can also be found on the Fishbyte.net Forum and Calendar.
Tough Randolph Teams Launch Sunday Attack
August 16, 2009
If you are looking for some tough competition in bass searching, look up the Randolph Team Trail Invitational. A series that always finds the heavy-weights, the crew zeroed in on Badin Lake this past Sunday and didn't disappoint. The lazy lake has been producing for only the best and the luckiest for weeks now, and the Randolph group had it's best guns on hand to prove the were the best.
There were no extras thrown in for them August 16th... water levels were down with virtually no flow; air temps soared and the water sat at pretty much 85 degrees. Two very large groups had fished the lake from top to bottom just the day before, so bass had been kicked and bruised before they got there. Despite all this, a team that has sported solid weights throughout the season in many tournaments had bass jumping into their boat again.
Dwayne Saunders and Scott Threadgill coaxed and lured a sturdy 15 pounds 11 ounces of fish into their net, giving them top honors for the day once again. The pair is rarely out of the money this season have have vaulted to near-top rankings in every group.
Gene Hardister, another contender in a variety of competitions in the region, along with his day's partner, Johnny Heaton, were hot on the first place team's heels with 14 pounds 7 ounces. Scoring these weights during August on Badin is a feat itself. Few anglers can break the single digits readouts at the scales.
Just a few ounces behind Hardister and Heaton were Andy Darnell and Ken Wall with 13 pounds 12 ounces in third spot. Fourth position was won by Greg Gooch and Jimmy Deaton, yet another power hitting team. All four of these teams go head-to-head in many tournaments across the region and always bring suspense to weigh ins.
One more name always in the headlines and as hot as any angler during the summer months has been Mark Beck. His skills have landed him top places in nearly every competition he's entered this summer, and today he added another Big Fish to the awards hanging on his mantel at home. He scored a 5 pound 10 ounce summer bruiser on Sunday to sew up that crown.
All these teams scored some good weights to chase Beck, with Hardister and Heaton finding a 4 pound 8 ounce catch, Saunders and Threadgill hauling out a 4 pound 13 ounce prize, and Darnell and Wall finding a 5 pound 8 ounce competitor. “That's a tough race for Big Fish and keeps a lot of interest at the scales,” stated director Steve Gardner. “No one's going to go home until all these guys weigh in. Nothing's certain until I call the scales closed.”
Twenty three boat teams hit the lake at 6:21 AM from the Circle Drive Access ramps and pounded the lake until the 2 PM weigh in. The group returns to Tuckertown September 20th for the third event there this season. Two weeks ago Randolph team anglers blasted some of the best weights to season there. That event is the last of their regular season. A club Fish Off will take place October 4th from 8 AM to 3:30 PM at a lake to be named.
For more information about the group, contact Directors Don Hughes at 336-318-5269 or Steve Gardner at 336-798-2801. Information and schedule events can also be found on the Fishbyte.net Forum and Calendar.
Randolph Trail's Gregory And Hilton Jr. Win Tuckertown Event
September 20, 2009
If Tuckertown Reservoir was going to give up its best bass to any group, it got hit with the best last Sunday, when twenty one boats from the Randolph Team Trail Invitational gathered there in their next-to-last outing of the season. The first four boats drew more than a dozen pounds each for weigh in at 3 PM.
Todd Gregory and David Hilton Jr. lit up the top lights of the score board again with 16 pounds 7 ounces of bass. Although a pile of boats plied the southern end of the lake, many of the teams found their best luck on the northern reaches of the pond. Billy Stockton, fishing with Wayne Snow, found the biggest fish of the event up near the bridge and railroad tracks.
“This fish ends a tough season for me,” stated Stockton. “At least I finally won something, even if it's near the end of the season,” he laughed. “I used a buzz bait to catch him just off the railroad tracks up there,” he ended. The fish weighed 6 pounds 7 ounces and was nothing but fat.
The Randolph Trail fishes eight regular season events beginning back on February 22. Their stops include Tillery, Badin, High Rock and Tuckertown. A final Fish Off will happen October 18th. The group will meet at the Lowe's Food store in Denton where the final lake draw will be held. The group will then caravan to the lake to hold its final event of the season.
The safelight blast off from the Flat Creek Wildlife Access saw angling teams fishing waters ranging from low seventy degrees to as much as 78 degrees near the south end. Fall schooling feeds were just beginning to happen in earnest on the lake. Many teams reported chasing schools for parts of the day.
David Hilton Sr. and John Smith brought the second largest bag of fish in with 15 pounds 12 ounces. The pair also won Second Big Fish of the day with a 5 pound 13 ounce lunker. Tracey Smith and Eric Moser finished in third with 13 pounds 3 ounces, while Dwayne Saunders and Scott Threadgill finished fourth with 12 pounds 1 ounce.
The club calls the Asheboro area its home and is directed by Don Hughes (336-318-5269) and Steve Gardner (336-798-2801).