The first time Greg Wyrick ever fished Smith Mountain Lake he won the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, Virginia Division 19 tournament, held June 5, 2010.
On a blistering hot day with little wind, the 48-year-old angler from Red Springs, N.C., landed five bass going 16.62 pounds. He topped his take with a 4.18-pounder to pocket $2,789 as the Boater Division winner. Wyrick caught his fish on a Rico topwater bait, a Carolina rig tipped with a green pumpkin swamp frog and a jig while fishing in water less than eight feet deep.
"Wednesday was the first day I ever saw Smith Mountain Lake," Wyrick admitted. "I think that actually helped me. Instead of running around to 150 different places, I stuck to one area and fished it hard. I just got lucky and found an area that was holding bass. I never fished water this clear. If I saw fish, I could forget about catching them so I backed off and made really long casts."
The tournament launched out of Parkway Marina in Huddleston, Va. The "Jewel of the Blue Ridge" covers 20,600 acres and stretches 40 miles long. The most popular lake in Virginia offers anglers more than 500 miles of shorelines along the Blackwater and Roanoke rivers. It drops to more than 250 feet deep in places.
In second for the boaters, Scott Smith, 49, of Apex, N.C., tallied 14.95 pounds. He really caught five keepers going 15.45 pounds, but a penalty dropped him down half a pound. One bucketmouth weighed 4.15 pounds.
"Thursday in practice was one of the best fishing days I've ever had," Smith said. "I was catching fish deep on river channels. I caught some fish on a Pop-R, but also caught some on Carolina rigs and shaky heads with green pumpkin finesse worms."
In third, Billy Bledsoe, 38, of Fayetteville, N.C., finished with a five-bass tournament limit weighing 14.73 pounds, which included a 4.57-pound kicker. He fished with James Wilson, 54, of Youngsville, N.C., who won the Co-Angler Division title in his first ABA tournament with three bass going 9.44 pounds.
Bledsoe, also a newcomer to Smith Mountain Lake, caught his fish on either a football jig or a Carolina rig. Wilson caught seven bass, mostly on a shaky head sweetened with a green pumpkin trick worm. He also landed the Co-Angler Division lunker, a 4.08-pounder, but possibly received a little help.
"We practiced for two days and didn't find any fish," Wilson related. "I didn't have a clue what we were going to do. Then, the night before the tournament, I found a four-leaf clover and put it in my wallet. It brought me luck. I caught the big fish early on a Pop-R."
Mark Inman of Greensboro, N.C., landed in fourth place with 13.53 pounds. He caught five keepers weighing 14.03 pounds, but a penalty set him back. He did catch the tournament lunker, a 4.61-pounder. Steve Miller of Mechanicsville, Va., finished fifth with five bass at 13.31 pounds, but also lost a half-pound to a penalty.
Lee Williams of Durham, N.C., took second in the Co-Angler Division with three bass for 8.77 pounds. He anchored his bag with a 3.56-pounder. In third, Kevin Hensley of Clarksville, Va., landed a division limit of three bass hitting 7.23 pounds, including a 2.59-pounder. Chris Fabrizio of Kernersville, N.C., took fourth with three bass going 7.12 pounds with a 3.73-pound kicker, followed by Jerry Tyler of Weldon, N.C. with three bass and 6.89 pounds. One of his bass weighed 3.14 pounds.
Complete Results
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers offers over 1,000 tournaments per year in 40 states that are designed for the weekend angler. American Bass Anglers commitment is to provide low cost, close to home tournaments for the weekend angler and at the same time offer each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression. For more information about American Bass Anglers and the American Fishing Tour, The Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, The American 150 Series or the American Couples Series, visit www.americanbassanglers.com.
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