More than 50 fishing teams eagerly revved their engines in the early dawn light as they awaited the blast off countdown at the Tri-County Community College Foundation’s 9th Annual Fishing for Scholarships Tournament at Lake Chatuge on April 1, 2017.
“We are thrilled to have more than 100 anglers turn out for our event this year,” said Dotie Stafford-Ortega, chair of the events committee at Tri-County Community College. “The weather could not have been more beautiful for our fishermen, and the weigh-in displayed some impressive numbers.”
More than $3,500 in prize money was handed out, while proceeds from the registration fees will fund two $1,000 scholarships for future Tri-County Community College students. The annual tournament is a joint effort by the Tri-County Bass Club and the Tri-County Community College Foundation.
For the second year running, the first place overall prize of $1,000, went to teammates Trevor Prince, of Blue Ridge, Ga., and Barron Adams of Mineral Bluff, Ga., with a total weight haul of nearly 22 pounds.
The remaining teams that placed overall were: second place Michael and James Bradley, both of Cherokee; third place Robert Rogers and Skip McKeral, both of Blairsville, Ga.; fourth place Darren Lail of Robbinsville and Blake Anderson; fifth place Nick Johnson of Franklin and Josh Stephens of Robbinsville.
Teammates Storm and Jimmy Worley, both of Murphy, won $250 for the biggest largemouth bass (8.08 pounds), while Brett Gibson of Andrews and Skyler Matheson of Robbinsville took home the $250 prize for biggest spotted bass (5.12 pounds). Last, but not least, the team of Jeremy Cross and Butch Hooper, both of Hayesville, won $100 for the smallest fish (1.28 pounds).
“We are already gearing up for our 10th annual tournament on April 7, 2018,” Stafford-Ortega said.
For more information regarding TCCC’s annual fishing tournament, contact Stafford-Ortega at 835-4208. To view pictures from this year’s tournament, visit www.tricountycc.edu and click on the Flickr logo.