We ended off the Fall season for the 2021-22 North Carolina BASS High School and Junior Series was the Riley’s Cup event that actually started Saturday night. BASS Masters emcee Ronnie Moore hosted the event that was well attended by the youth anglers. Special guests Jake Whitaker and 2-Time BASS Masters Classic Champion Hank Cherry answered questions, talked about fishing careers, and offered tips to all who listened. At the end of the night, anglers received their random boat draw and Abu Garcia rods!
Saturday was a cold weather day with the Riley’s Cup event at beautiful Lake Norman! It was a clear morning to blast off for the 83-boat field! The guys and girls left looking for some heavy bags of spotted and largemouth bass that reside in Lake Norman. Temperatures never really warmed up in the afternoon, and clear skies made the fishing tougher than expected. The weigh-in crowd was the largest of the season, and those who attended had a chance to speak with reigning BASS Master Classic Champion Hank Cherry and lure designer Marcos Malucelli of Water Wood Custom Baits.
Once the anglers started to come in, it was confirmed the fishing had been somewhat tough. Leading the way in the Junior Division (13 teams), Ty Chandler and Cooper Seagle from North Lincoln won with five fish weighing 7.96 pounds. Finishing second, from Fuquay Varina was the team of Kieran Stephenson and Grady Stanley. Their catch of five fish for 7.74 pounds made for a very close finish in their division.
Taking the victory in the High School Division was the team of Chase Wodzinski and Kaden Buchmann from RoCo Anglers. They brought in a solid 5 fish limit weighing 11.26 pounds to become the 2021 Riley’s Cup champions! Finishing second was the McDowell High team of Ty Allison and Braden Padgett with a limit of five fish weighing 9.76 pounds.
Third place was secured by a limit of 9.13 pounds caught by Angelo Foto and Michael McNulty from Riley’s Catch. The fourth-place team finished with a 5 fish limit weighing 9.02 pounds. They were the Anson Anglers team of Lucas Gatewood and Kolton Taylor. Logan Hendrick and Billy Gatewood from Cherryville Anglers won fifth place with a five fish limit weighing 8.74 pounds. The RoCo Anglers team of Trayden Freeze and Austin Hayes caught the Big Bass of the tournament. The big spotted bass weighed in at 3.88 pounds.
We would like to thank everyone for fishing the Riley’s Cup event. We’d like to thank all of our volunteers and sponsors for making this tournament possible that include but are not limited to: Riley’s Catch, Chris Carnes, Ronnie Moore, Rod Goodall, Todd Bare, Deanna Garmon, Hunter Keller, Academy Outdoors, Pure Fishing, Skyline Marine, Shimano Fishing, Water Wood Custom Baits, Goosehead Insurance and Woods to Water Outdoor Company.
