Carolina Yakfish

24 anglers woke up to a cold, windy Saturday morning and made the trek from all across the state to Beaverdam (on Falls Lake) to fish the first event of the 2010 Carolina Yakfish Tournament Series.  We at Carolina Yakfish had been eagerly awaiting the day for some time and it was evident that others had too.

At the 9 AM launch, yaks were headed in every direction and in a serious hurry.  Some anglers found success early, such as Gary Ribet, who landed 4 fish by about 10:30 AM.  Others struggled to get a bite all day in the mid- to post-cold front conditions.  Word was circulating across the lake that it was a tough day for most.  Although the wind never stopped, the sun made for pleasant temperatures and a nice day on the water.  By mid-afternoon things were warming up in more than one way, as the two biggest bass were landed then and the bite picked up for others.  When Nathan Raycroft landed his brute of a bass, an audible scream was heard by many across the lake, inducing a mix of laughter and curiosity amongst other anglers.

In the end, many areas produced fish for anglers with the most popular lures seeming to be crankbaits and spinnerbaits fished in 2 to 8 feet of water.  4 anglers caught limits and 10 measured at least 1 fish.  3^rd place went to Gary Ribet (Rougemont, NC) with a total of 36.25”.  Second place went to Bob Dainton (Pittsboro, NC) with a total length of 40.25”.  1^st place went to Drew Haerer with a total length of 49”.  Drew also won the Big Bass Pot with a 21.25” fish that weighed in the 6-7 lb class.

It was a great day on the lake with a great group of people.  In the end, $120 was donated to Heroes on the Water who were proudly represented by Kaleb Dutil.  This was $30 (6 anglers) short of our goal, so please come out and tell your friends about our upcoming events.

The next event will be held on May 8^th on the Cape Fear River (HWY 42 Access).  We hope to see you there.  Tight lines!

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1.  Drew Haerer – 3 LMB- 49″  (21.25″ LMB won big fish pot)

2.  Bob Dainton – 3 LMB – 40.25″

3.  Gary Ribet – 3 LMB – 36.25″

4.  Steve Hurst – 3 LMB – 35.25″

5.  Joey Sullivan – 2 LMB – 24.5″

6.  Clint Barden – 2 LMB – 23.5″

7.  Nathan Raycroft – 1 LMB – 20.25″

8.  Daniel Morales – 2 LMB – 20″ (after 2″ deduction)

9.  Wes Webster – 1 LMB – 14.5″

10.  Bob Summers – 1 LMB – 10″

11.  Don Parks – 0 LMB

11.  Scott Inge – 0 LMB

11.  Tyler Inge – 0 LMB

11.  Jake Earley – 0 LMB

11.  Joe Angelcyk – 0 LMB

11.  Erick Bell – 0 LMB

11.  Ashton Bell – 0 LMB

11.  Grayson Bell – 0 LMB

11.  Kaleb Dutil – 0 LMB

11.  Joel Elliott – 0 LMB

11.  Matt Smith – 0 LMB

11.  Brian Roy – 0 LMB

11.  Gary Parrott – 0 LMB

11.  Mike Hanner – 0 LMB

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Winning bag (photos by Drew)

2nd place bag (photos by Bob)

Nathan Raycroft’s sow (left photo by Nathan, right ‘artwork’ by Kaleb)