Hank Cherry of Maiden won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament on Lake Norman on Feb. 28 with a five-bass catch weighing 19 pounds.
The victory earned Cherry $4,720 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Clarks Hill Lake Regional Championship in Appling, Ga., Oct. 15-17.
Rounding out the top five boaters are John Allen of Concord (five bass, 14-3, $2,360); Randy Childers of Anderson, S.C. (five bass, 12-3, $1,574); Rob Digh of Denver, N.C. (five bass, 11-12, $1,101) and Maurice Freeze of Concord (five bass, 10-14, $904).
Cherry took home the Boater Division Big Bass award, earning $695 for a 6-pound, 13-ounce bass he caught.
Dean Talbert of Albemarle earned $2,288 as the co-angler winner thanks to five bass weighing 12 pounds, 6 ounces. Billie Lookabill of Mocksville was fifth with four bass weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces and he earned $458.
The next North Carolina Division event will be held on the Lake Wylie in Lake Wylie, S.C., March 21.
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Salisbury anglers C.J. Johnston and Matt Stanley finished with 14.8 pounds to capture the Piedmont Division of Fishers Of Men opening tournament Feb. 21 at Belews Creek, topping 48 teams.
Their payday was $1,208.
Carolina Rigs seemed to be the choice of the day, although a few teams did find a few bass on the beds.
Other local winners included fourth place finishers Jon Morgan of Rockwell and Rodney Eller of Salisbury. They won $472 with a catch of 11.34 pounds.
The next tournament will be at Lake Wylie on March 21.