White Scores Victory On Lake Gaston
LITTLETON, N.C. – Evan S. White won the Boater Division in the American Bass Anglers Open Series, Presented by Caymas Boats, Virginia Division 19 tournament, held May 7, 2022, at Lake Gaston.
Launching at Summit Landing in Littleton, N.C. the angler from Roanoke Rapids, N.C. brought in a 5-bass tournament limit for 17.97 pounds. That gave him slightly less than a 1.5-pound advantage over his nearest competitor.
“I caught all of my fish sight fishing,” White detailed. “I found some of them in practice and some of them pulled up into the same areas in time for the tournament. I flipped the beds all day and caught about 10 fish. I culled up a few times.”
In second among the 30 boaters, Shawn R. Hammack from Gasburg, Va. also landed his 5-bass limit. He put 16.51 pounds on the scales..
“I caught most of my fish by sight fishing,” Hammack echoed. “I caught a couple guarding fry and about 12 off the beds. I threw a fluke or a brush hog.”
Finishing third among the boaters, Shane D. Doughtie of Roanoke Rapids found five good keepers for 14.97 pounds. He also found the tournament lunker, a 5.03-pound largemouth. .
“It was all sight fishing all day with craw baits for me,” Doughtie said. “I just threw the baits into the beds.”
Chris G. Bishop, also from Roanoke Rapids, caught a 5-bass limit for 14.86 pounds, enough for $500 and fourth place. Fellow Roanoke Rapids competitor, Jerry Cullom caught five solid keepers going 12.91 pounds. He anchored that bag with a 3.81-pounder.
In the Co-Angler Division, Glenn E. Eskin of Henderson, N.C. landed his 3-bass division limit for 7.29 pounds. He padded that sack with the division big bass, a 3.60-pounder.
“I caught about six fish total,” Eskin recalled. “Mainly, I threw a weightless green pumpkin Senko. I also thew an off-white Senko.”
Taking second for the co-anglers, Gordon “Duke” H. Bevins Jr. put three good keepers in the boat for 7.18 pounds. The angler from Aylett, Va. capped his catch with a 2.67-pound kicker.
“My boater, Shane Doughtie, put me on fish,” Bevins acknowledged. “We were sight fishing. I was just flipping weightless soft plastics in green pumpkin with green flakes. I wish I could have caught every bass I saw. I caught one off the end of a dock on a beaver-style bait.”
Jim W. Lewis of Bracey, Va. finished third among the co-anglers with three bass at 6.44 pounds including a 2.53-pound kicker. Following in fourth place, Jason T. Hinger from Timberlake, N.C. brought in three keepers for 5.92 pounds. Rounding out the top five co-anglers, Matt Leicester of Hertford, N.C. found a 3-bass limit weighing 5.51 pounds, anchored by a 2.96-pounder.
The division returns to these same waters on June 18, 2022, to conclude the regular season. Again, the anglers will run out of Summit Landing, located on Bluebird Road in Littleton. To register for this event, CLICK HERE.
American Bass Anglers is sponsored by Caymas Boats, Mercury Marine, T-H Marine, Garmin Electronics, Power Pole, Lucas Oil, RT Outdoors, Sportsman Card, Optima Batteries, Hotel Planner.com, and LurePartsOnline.com.
About American Bass Anglers: American Bass Anglers is committed to providing low-cost, close-to-home tournaments for the weekend angler and, at the same time, offering each competitor an upward path for individual angler progression.
For more information about American Bass Anglers, the Open Series, the American Fishing Tour, the American Couples Series, the annual Military Team Bass Tournament, and the Top 150 Solo Tour, all presented by Caymas Boats, visit www.americanbassanglers.com or call (256) 232-0406
This story was written by ABA staff writer John N. Felsher. To submit articles of interest email info@americanbassanglers.com.
