Darren Sams of High Rock Lake caught a 3-pound, 7-ounce black crappie off his pier at High Rock Lake’s Abbott Creek on April 7.
He had it weighed at Mimi’s Bait and Tackle Shop, and it also measured 18 inches long and about 6 1/2 inches around. Sams said he’s sending paperwork to the N.C. Wildlife Commission to certify the catch and to determine if it broke any records for High Rock Lake. He said a biologist told him it wasn’t a state record.
Sams was fishing with minnows at his pier on the Lexington side of the lake. He’s having the crappie mounted at McKenzie Taxidermy in Granite Quarry. 
– – –
Roger Pope of Statesville won the Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League North Carolina Division tournament on Lake Wylie on April 7 with a five-bass catch weighing 19 pounds, 10 ounces.
The victory earned Pope $4,874 and placed him one step closer to qualifying for the Cherokee Lake Regional Championship in Morristown, Tenn., Oct. 16-18.
Rounding out the top five boaters are Brian Travis of Conover (five bass, 19-06, $2,867); Obby Land of Cherryville (five bass, 18-10, $1,911); Bobby Hunter of Sherrills Ford (five bass, 18-02, $1,338) and Jason Threadgill of Albemarle (five bass, 17-11, $1,147).
Will Petty of Charlotte took home the Boater Division Snickers Big Bass award, earning $935 for a 6-pound, 8-ounce bass.
Ken Fender of Gastonia earned $2,867 as the co-angler winner with five bass weighing 15 pounds, 6 ounces. Thurman Lowry of Lexington was fifth with five bass weighing 12-05. He earned $573. Fender also earned $467 as the co-angler big bass winner after catching a 6-pound bass.
North Carolina Division anglers will visit Kerr Lake in Henderson on May 3 for their third regular-season event, followed by an event on High Rock Lake on June 21. A two-day Super Tournament, the division’s fifth and final event, will be on Lake Norman on Sept. 13-14.
– – –
The Bass Federation’s best are headed to Lake Wylie for the national championship Thursday-Saturday.
The winning boater and co-angler will automatically be entered into the 2008 Forrest Wood Cup in Columbia, S.C., Aug. 14-17. The top six boaters and co-anglers from each division will be given a spot in the All-American tourney on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Ark., May 29-31.
The TBF National Championship is presented by the National Guard and begins Wednesday, April 23, with an official practice day. Takeoff is from Copperhead Island Park at 15200 Soldier Road in Charlotte. Weigh-ins each day are at 4 p.m. at the Charlotte Convention Center at 501 S. College St. in Charlotte.
On Saturday and Sunday, children 14 and under visiting the Family Fun Zone will receive a free rod and reel combo while supplies last. On Sunday, during the final 4 p.m. weigh-in, one lucky member of the audience will win a Ranger boat. Admission is free. You must be present to win.
FSN (Fox Sports Net) will televise the tournament on June 8.