Williams takes title on High Rock Lake

ATHENS, Ala. – Clayton Mark Williams stayed in the dirt to win the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, North Carolina Division 5 tournament, held April 21, 2012, on High Rock Lake.

Running out of Tamarac Marina near Salisbury, the Taylorsville angler caught five bass weighing 22.31 pounds for a 4.46-pound average. Catching a total of 10 bass, he anchored his bag with a 6.86-pounder that won tournament big bass honors. For the Boater Division title, Williams collected $1,867 with another $175 for the big bass.

“I live about 90 minutes away, so I fish this lake as often as I can,” Williams revealed. “It’s not my home lake, but it’s one of my favorite lakes. The water warmed up a few degrees, so I fished shallow and caught most of my fish around isolated trees. I was grinding dirt most of the day with the trolling motor. The big one hit a soft plastic creature bait. I culled three or four times.”

In second for the boaters, Derek Cummings of Clayton brought in a five-bass tournament limit for 20.10 pounds. He capped his catch with a 5.99-pound bucketmouth. Robert Walser of Lexington also landed a five-fish limit going 19.34 with a 6.33-pound kicker. Chadd Eriksen of Wake Forrest brought in five keepers for 15.93 pounds and fourth place. Mike L. Miller of Trinity rounded out the top five boaters with five keepers and 15.26 pounds including a 4.45-pound kicker.

In the Co-Angler Division, Charles L. Bowman II of Kernersville scored a victory on his home waters. He landed three bass for 9.25 pounds and anchored that catch with a 3.41-pounder. As the top co-angler, Bowman collected $974.

“This is my home lake and I fish it all the time,” Bowman said. “We caught about 25 fish total. From the back of the boat, I probably caught about 15. I culled about four times. The big bass hit a tube bait. We went through a lot of different types of plastics in about eight feet of water. They key was working it very slowly.”

In second for the co-anglers, Phillip P. Passmore of Trinity landed a three-bass division limit for 7.81 pounds, followed by Robert “Sheldon” S. Hipps of Troutman with three bass and 5.68 pounds. Donald D. Griffin of Marshville only landed one bass, but his 4.59-pounder gave him fourth place and division lunker honors. Larry K. Ledford of Vale brought in two bass for 3.71 pounds and fifth place.

For more information on this tournament, call Gary Conner at (256) 230-5627 or ABA at (888) 203-6222. On line, see www.americanbassanglers.com.

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