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Yadkin Promotions Piedmont Team
2010
Smith And Freeze Win Yadkin Promo Bass Opener
Info and Photo Courtesy of Tony Garitta
February 27, 2010
Sometimes a week can make a difference and, although the last seven days saw more rain and sub-normal temperatures, evidence of better bass bite was apparent. Carl Benton's Yadkin Bass Tournament Trail traveled to Badin Lake for its season opener Saturday and anglers did pry a few out of hiding.
The 7:30 AM blast off from the Circle Drive Landing saw ten boat teams entering the competition. Air temps hovered below the freezing mark and anglers were barely recognizable under mountains of cold weather gear. “This early in the season and in this weather, I'm glad to have ten boats,” stated Benton, organizer of the Yadkin Promotions events for many years. Benton also runs a crappie trail that began back in January.
At 3 PM, Jon Smith of Thomasville and Jarrett Freeze of Landis, raised 4.43 pounds out of Badin to grab first place and $325. The pair also had Big Fish of the day, and earned $65 for that feat. The team is sponsored by R & L Sheet Metal.
Curtis Rollins of Winston-Salem and Todd Parker of Salisbury brought 4.04 pounds to the scales to nail second and $200. Tom File and Thomas Ludwick, both of Salisbury, finished third with 3.23 pounds. Third place paid $85.
Benton has combined two of his trails this season, The Yadkin and Piedmont Trails, to form the new series. Membership is $30 and entry fee is $80 for each event. An optional $10 Big Fish pot is available. Anglers fish a five fish limit and can fish alone or as a team. The Trail's next event is March 13 at High Rock and the Tamarac Marina landing from 7:30 AM to 3PM. New members are welcome.
For more information, contact Benton at 336-859-4366. Additional info is available, along with the complete schedule, on the Fishbyte.net Calendar and Forums.
2009
Huffman and Peyton Carry In Heaviest at Tuckertown
May 16, 2009
With six bass tournaments happening all at one time on little Tuckertown Reservoir this past Saturday, May 16th, the waters and best fishing holes were worked over hard and early. As is fairly customary, boats whizzed from location to location as anglers tried to find the pattern. One team pretty much stayed put all day in the Yadkin Promotions New Piedmont Team Tournament, and that strategy probably gave them the heaviest bag of any competition.
Waters, with temperatures ranging from 69 to 72 degrees from south end to north, were murky all day and levels fluctuated up and down 6 to 8 inches from start to finish. Surface debris got worse and worse as waves and taller water brought shoreline rubble to the waters. A heavy overcast threatened ominously all day and, just as it looked like storms would pass around competitors, a series of hard downpours began about 1 PM. None of that slowed down 11 boats in the Carl Benton-promoted series.
As anglers worked close to shorelines and then just off the edge in 8 to 10 feet, the team of Chuck Huffman and Brad Peyton kept on with their same approach in pretty much the same spot hour after hour. “We knew we had a good location,” stated Peyton, “ and we knew the fish were there. It just takes patience sometimes.” The pair boasted a sizable catch at the 2:30 weigh in, bringing 23 pounds 1.4 ounces to the scales. As if that crown wasn't enough, they also added Big Fish to their winnings with a 6 pound 9.8 ounce lunker. The skilled partners split a $386 first-place purse and the $71.50 Big Fish winnings. “It pays to go fishing,” laughed Huffman.
Dale Hege and Wayne Lawson ran a distant second with 17 pounds 3.3 ounces, winning $200. The final paying spot went to Ronny Smith and Randy Weddington who put 12 pounds 1.5 ounces of bass in their livewell. Their take home was $85. Second Big Fish was won by Shane Floyd and Tony Garitta who netted a 5 pound 7.1 ounce keeper and $38.50 as part of the series' five-fish limit.
The Yadkin Promotions, New Piedmont Team returns to Tuckertown's Flat Creek Landing on June 13 for the sixth of nine events in their schedule. A final Fish Off is slated for October 17 and 18. Entry fee for the events is $85 with an optional $10 Big Fish Pot. For more information about the series, contact Carl Benton at 336-859-4366 or see the Fishbyte.net Forums and Calendar.
Over 18 Pounds Takes Win At Tuckertown
July 25, 2009
It didn't take many boat teams from the New Piedmont Tournament Trail of Carl Benton's Yadkin Promotions to do what most other tournaments on the Yadkin Chain have struggled to do recently. With only seven boats blasting off from the Flat Creek Access of Tuckertown Saturday, a winning bag of five fish came in topping the eighteen pound mark.
Although air temps started off on the comfortable side that morning, a fast-rising sun drove the degree mark well into the 90's. Water levels were well-over a foot low and water had ceased to flow the evening before. Three of the teams struggled past those barriers and found fish.
Dale Hege and Wayne Lawson hit it heavy right off in the morning. “We had limit by 9 AM this morning,” laughed Lawson. “We kept finding them on and off for the rest of the day, but morning bite was good where we went.” The boat team culled the smaller ones and brought 18.6.2 pounds of the bigger ones to the winners' circle. They earned $300 for those skills. They also snatched away First Big Fish from the second place team at the last minute. Their 5.9.5 pounder won an additional $45.50 to take home.
Tony Garrita and Shane Floyd thought they had the competition sewn up as they approached the scales. No other bags had produced much to that point and theirs was heavy. They weighed in an admirable 17.4.6 pounds and had a very comfortable lead until Lawson and Hege showed up. They had to settle for second and the $103 that went with it after that. Garitta and Floyd did manage Second Big Fish with a 5.6.1 pound lunker which earned them $24.50 in extra spending cash.
Third place was wrapped up by Todd Parker and Curtis Rollins who walked in 13.9.7 pounds. Their winnings totaled $85.
The New Piedmont Trail will return to Tuckertown and Flat Creek Access on August 8th. Cost is $85 per team with a $10 Big Fish pot.
For information, call Carl Benton at 336-859-4366 or visit the Fishbyte.net Forums and Calendar.
New Piedmont Trail Pounds Tuckertown
August 8, 2009
For the second time in just over two weeks, the Yadkin Promotions New Piedmont Team Tournament swept into Tuckertown Reservoir and pounded the bass hangouts. The result was a good, old-fashioned whupping of the greenbacks. Near the end of July, Dale Hege and Wayne Lawson pulled 18.6.2 pounds and a 5.9.5 pounder from the lake, but that lashing wasn't good enough. The Trail came back once again to lay an even heavier beating on the bass.
Eleven boats from the series slid off at 6:30 AM from the Flat Creek Ramp and headed both north and south on the lake. Air temps in the morning were comfortable, although by noon, the sun burned through the overcast and things got hot. Water levels were down about a foot and little flow was seen throughout the day. Many of the anglers reported better bite as the afternoon wore on.
At the weigh in scales, it was Brad Smith and Randy Weddington who had doled out the harsh treatment to bass. The partners brought in 19.05 pounds to grab the $386 first place prize. They also scored First Big Fish with a chunky 6.42 pounder to add another $65 to their pockets. Weddington has found himself in the money at a number of tournaments this year on High Rock and Tuckertown.
Second place went to Hege and Lawson, proving once again their mastery of this lake. Their 16.38 pounds brought them an even $200 paycheck for the day. “We just seem to have this lake down,” stated Hege after the weigh in. “There are a lot of good holes here that always produce.”
Ron Wandscher and Derek Tolley landed third place honors with a sizable 15.41 pounds. That bag, big enough to win most other tournaments in the weekend, did earn them $85. Second Big Fish went to Brad Peyton and Chuck Hoffman, who netted a 4.6.9 pound bass. They earned $35.
The series moves on to High Rock Lake using the Tamarac Marina as a jump off spot. The schedule will close out October 17th and 18th when the series holds its Fish Off. The entry fee per tournament is $85. The annual membership fee per person is $30.
Organized by Carl and Dianne Benton of Denton, NC, tournament brochures are made available at local tackle shops. For information, call the Bentons at 336-859-4366. Schedules and information are also available on the Fishbyte.net Calendar and Forums.