By Mark Schmerling

Tryon resident Alex Frazier has long fished the Green River, Lake Adger, Lake Lanier and other local waters.

 

His experience paid off handsomely in late March, when he and his fishing partner Austin Neary of Tuckasegee, won the Carhartt Bassmasters College Eastern Regional, a three-day fishing tournament on Lake Norman, near Charlotte.

 

Representing Western Carolina University, and sponsored by Damiki (a fishing lure maker), Frazier and Neary boated a total of 42.9 pounds of largemouth and spotted bass.

 

The next tournament for Frazier and Neary is the Bassmaster College Series National Championships in Wisconsin. This regional event qualified them for the national championships.

 

On the second day, “the coldest and rainiest,” said Frazier, the duo hauled in their best single-day catch—14.9 pounds, including Frazier’s personal record four-pound spotted bass. Frazier notes that spotted bass, while having similar markings to largemouth bass, are smaller bodied, and can be distinguished by having proportionately smaller mouths.

 

Day two also included an ESPN Sports camera crew following Frazier’s and Neary’s boat.

 

“The pressure was definitely there,” Frazier remarked of the coverage.

 

During the Lake Norman event, Frazier and Neary noticed that fish worked toward the banks in large numbers, looking to mate and to make spawning beds. Fishing off of spawning beds, the duo elected to drop shot (using weights to keep the artificial bait suspended above the bottom), and use jerk baits. A Damiki Cutter Tail lure (a soft bait) in green pumpkin color proved successful.

 

Frazier has competed in fishing tournaments since the ninth grade. Fishing local waters, he says, “has really helped me out a lot.”

 

Because of the long-distance travel expenses he and Neary will incur going to Wisconsin, Frazier said they will accept donations. Interested individuals may call Frazier at 864-457-6296.