Bledsoe wins on Lake Jordan

ATHENS, Ala.  Billy Bledsoe changed strategies to win the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Weekend Series, operated by American Bass Anglers, North Carolina Division 5 tournament, held May 19, 2012, on Lake Jordan near Apex.

Running all over the lake, the Fayetteville angler caught five bass weighing 18.80 pounds. “I fish here a lot,” Bledsoe said. “I hit 35 spots and found two of them with fish on them, but they were good fish. I love to fish shallow, but I caught my fish in nine to 14 feet of water. I caught every weigh fish on a crankbait, but I caught some short fish on a Carolina rig.”

In second for the boaters, Matthew “Matt” G. Czerepa of Southern Pines landed a five-bass tournament limit weighing 16.89 pounds. Keith Pendleton of Vale took third with five bass going 14.35 pounds including a 4.08-pound kicker. Derek Cummings of Clayton placed fourth with five bass and 13.69 pounds, followed by Joshua R. Sanders of Morganton with five bass at 13.46 pounds.

Gregory Lahr of Fayetteville finished in ninth place with two fish weighing 10.57 pounds. However, he anchored his bag with a 5.96-pounder that earned the tournament big bass title.

In the Co-Angler Division, James D. Barber of Charlotte won with three bass going 10.44 pounds. The retired Navy veteran capped his catch with a 5.90-pounder to win the co-angler big bass title.

“This was only the second time I had ever been on the lake,” Barber explained. “We started fishing shallow in two to five feet of water where it was calm. Not catching much, we decided to go fish wind-swept points and had our limit by 10 a.m. I caught my fish on a Live Target bluegill crankbait. The big bass hit on a secondary point near a boat ramp.”

John D. Miller of Statesville placed second with a three-bass division limit going 9.38 pounds including a 5.13-pound kicker. Charles L. Bowman II of Kernersville finished third with three bass and 8.91 pounds, followed closely by Kendell “Brent” Walser of Lexington with three bass going 8.70 pounds. Thomas McDermott of Madison rounded out the top five co-anglers with three bass at 7.91 pounds.

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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