North Carolina's Hank Cherry earned a berth in the 2013 Bassmaster Classic today as he won the Lewis Smith Lake Bassmaster Southern Open in Leeds, Ala. by a single ounce over local stalwart Craig Daniel. His 11-15 stringer today gave him a 3-day total of 38-13.
Cherry, a former FLW Tour pro, also earned an invitation to fish the Bassmaster Elite Series next year with a 4th-place finish in the final points standings. Day-1 leader Kevin Hawk, the former Forrest Wood Cup champion who ended up 4th in the tournament, captured the points title.
Cherry threw a 3 1/2-inch swimbait on 5-pound Sunline FC Sniper fluorocarbon line. “You sometimes have to go that light to make a long enough cast to avoid spooking the fish," he said.
Full details of his winning pattern will be published soon.
Here are the totals for the 12 anglers who competed today.
1. Hank Cherry: 38-13
2. Craig Daniel: 38-12
3. Adam Hock: 38-01
4. Kevin Hawk: 37-13
5. David Walker: 37-13
6. Brent Crow: 33-11
7. Gerald Swindle: 32-09
8. Andy Montgomery: 31-14
9. Jason Williamson: 31-07
10. Chris Lane: 29-11
11. Greg Vinson: 29-04
12. Drew Benton: 22-14
