Carolina Area News
Lake Wylie GRAND SLAM
The format is unique, and it had never been done before anywhere. A tournament where you must catch three of the largest US species of catfish to be eligible to win. Just one flathead, blue, and channel catfish was the goal of all the anglers, but only two teams were able to do it.
Nine
boats turned out for the first annual Lake
Wylie GRAND SLAM tournament July 23rd.
The weather was clear and HOT! No rain, no thunderstorms, and
slightly better pleasure boat traffic than previous weekends.
Only
having two teams
accomplish the GRAND SLAM came as a surprise following the large number
that did so during the
Lake Wylie Tournament Results
LKW winners Bob Clark (L) and George Lindsay
Another great turn out for the Lake Wylie tournament on July 9th. 22 anglers in a dozen boats participated in the event under clear skies and pleasant weather.
Reports from anglers showed the bite was about what was expected for a Saturday evening tournament in the July. Boat traffic was not as bad as expected, but most anglers reported the bite getting better later in the evening after most pleasure boat traffic cleared the lake.
A remarkable number of flatheads were weighed in, including the winning teams big fish. This suggests a trend for Lake Wylie summertime fishing.
In the end George Lindsay and Bob Clark went home with the victory! Their winning stringer of 43.6 pounds was topped off with big fish of the tournament, a 32.8 pound flathead.
On a side note, Bob showed up at the boat ramp without a partner in hope someone had room on their boat. George offered to take him and was rewarded for the kind gesture. Great job George; YOU are an excellent example of what the Carolina Catfish Club is all about.
Mt. Island Lake Tournament Results
MIL winner Dieter Melhorn (L) and Ric Helms
Tournament anglers missed a strong thunderstorms to participate in the first Carolina Catfish Club tournament of 2011 on Mt. Island Lake June 18th. 10 boats comprised of 20 anglers competed in the event.
The winning weight for two fish went to Dieter Melhorn with a total of 39.8 pounds, along with big fish for the tournament with a 20.6 pound blue catfish. Mt. Island favorites and defending points champion Rob McHenry along with Lindsey Bigham came in second with 31.4 pounds.
The next event is scheduled for Lake Wylie on July 9th out of the South Point Access Area.
Potential New World Record Caught
29 Nick Anderson of Greenville, NC has caught what may be the largest ever blue catfish on rod and reel. The143 pound Arkansas blue catfish was caught from Buggs Island Reservoir on the NC/VA border. If the weight is certified and the catch holds up, it will eclipse the previous world record by 13 pounds. Currently it has been certified as the Virginia state record blue catfish.
Mt. Island Lake Veteran Wins Tournament
and Points Race Winners Crowned
Rob McHenry with his 37.4 pound blue catfish
The final tournament of the 2010-2011
Carolina Catfish Club series saw an excellent turnout with nine
boats competing. The temperatures were in the mid 20’s at dawn when the
boats blasted off for the eight hour tournament.
At the end of the day Mt. Island Lake veteran Rob McHenry found the
winning stringer of fish, a solid 45 pounds. Rob also brought the biggest
fish of the day to the scales. His Arkansas blue catfish tipped the scales
at 37.4 pounds., making it not only the biggest fish of the tournament,
but also the biggest fish caught in the tournament series this year.
Rob McHenry is no stranger to winning on Mt. Island Lake. He and
Lindsay Bigham teamed up to win there in 2008 with almost the same weight
of 46 pounds.
Second place went to Rodger & Eric Taylor of Rock Hill, SC. The
duo brought 36.4 pounds to the scales and a big fish of 26.6 pounds.
Congratulations to Rob McHenry on a fine victory!!!
Cary Vanden Broecke and Justin Whiteside
The points race this season
was another close one. Very close.
The leaders coming into Saturdays tournament, Eric & Marya Jenkins had
a respectable stringer of fish and weighed in 20.8 pounds.
Cary Vanden Broecke and Justin Whiteside came into the
tournament in second place in the points and, and barring a big fish by
either team, they needed to win by two places to take home the points
victory.
Cary and Justin fished most of the day with 8-12 pounds in the boat.
However, late in the day they found a 26 pound blue, the fish they were
looking for. While it was not enough to win the tournament it was enough
to put them two spots ahead of Eric and Marya in the days standings, and
that earned Cary and Justin the points race title by ONE POINT!
This is the first time in the last four years that the point's winner has
not won at least one tournament. Proof that winning a point's race is
about consistency! Cary and Justin were the epitome of consistency by
finishing third in every tournament in the series!
Congratulations to Cary Vanden Broecke and Justin Whiteside,
the 2010-2011 Carolina Catfish Club Points
Champions!
Catfish Consumption Advisories
N.C. officials warned that no channel catfish from Mountain Island Lake should be eaten due to elevated PCB levels. Pregnant or nursing women, women who might become pregnant and children under 15 shouldn't eat largemouth bass. Other people should eat no more than two meals a month of largemouth bass from the lake. More information is online at www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/fish.
SC DHEC issued consumption advisories for largemouth bass on Lake Wylie. Further testing will be done to see if catfish should be included in the advisory.
In May of 2010 SC DHEC issued consumption advisories for Lake Wateree. Blue catfish and striped bass caught in Lake Wateree, including the waters below Cedar Creek, should be eaten no more than once a month. Visit a www.scdhec.gov/fish map for updated advisories.
2010 Lake Watere Tournament
Eric Jenkins and Marya Maloy with their winning fish from Lake Wateree
Carolina
Catfish Club members Eric
Jenkins and Marya Maloy
(Team Hook Line and Sinker) took home the win Saturday on Lake
Justin
Whitesides caught the big fish of the tournament, a 36.6 pound
blue catfish. The additional points for big fish of the tournament
moved Cary and Justin into second place in the points race just four
points behind the leaders.
Eleven teams
competed in the event including several non-member teams that took
advantage of the open event. Six of the eleven teams had a 20+ pound
average for the event, and Team Green mentioned that they had five fish in
the 15 pound range. While everyone would have liked to have had one
a little bit bigger, anglers commented that the bite on
The next Carolina
Catfish Club tournament is scheduled for January
15th on
CCC Members Win on Wylie
Ric Helms and Kevin Love with winning fish on Lake Wylie
Carolina
Catfish Club members Kevin
Love and Ric Helms
won the Catawba Catfish Club
tournament on
2011 Officer Elected
Carolina Catfish Club officers for the 2011 calendar year were elected at the October meeting.
Mac Byrum will return as treasurer for the club. Jeff Manning was elected vice-president for 2011, and Dieter Melhorn returns as president.
The club will not meet in November or December, but meeting will resume in January.
Stay tuned to what's happening in the area
at the Carolina Catfish Club online forum HERE!