Anglers hook fish to fight cancer

On March 9, 400 anglers launched their 204 boats at dawn from Queens Landing and scattered in all directions to find big bass in the Jim Ledbetter Memorial Bass Tournament.

Anglers came from six states to try for a new boat, custom trophies, prizes and cash. The club estimates that it raised $15,000 for the V Foundation this year.

This year, a husband-and-wife won the tournament on their sixth attempt. Carl Meyers Jr. and his wife, Stephanie, of Morganton, not only took the husband-and-wife class but their 16.88 pounds of bass won them a new $35,000 Ranger Z118 fully equipped bass boat. They also took home a check for $500 for winning their division.

When asked if she caught most of the fish, Stephanie replied, “I netted all of them and got them in the boat.”

Second place went to Vince and Mark Parker of Denver, with 14.42 pounds and a check for $2,000. Third was Aric Dwyer and Zack Bolick with 14.19 pounds.

Carl Meyers Sr. and his buddy, Larry Carpenter, of Morganton won the senior citizens division. Meyers won the senior division last year and is the father of the tournament winner.

The adult/child team repeated their victory from last year. Jeff Queen, 48 and K.J. Queen 15, had 5 bass that weighed 11.85 pounds, which was good enough for a $500 check.

The big fish of the day weighed 6.52 pounds and was landed by Shane Lehew and Adams Waters of Charlotte. Lehew caught the bass on an Alabama rig that he builds and sells. Lehew and Waters took fourth-place honors with 14.13 pounds.

Three hundred fourteen bass weighing 632 pounds were weighed and released alive.

The Balls Creek Bass Club has been hosting the tournament for more than 20 years and has raised more than $800,000 for cancer research.

Jim Ledbetter, the founder of the event, was a well-known television fishing show host and professional angler from Catawba County who died in 2002.

Since 2006, the club has been aligned with the V Foundation to Cast Out Cancer. The V Foundation is named for the former N.C. State basketball coach Jim Valvano, who died of cancer in 1993, and all donations go to cancer research.

This year, the event was sponsored by Danny McCall and Denver Marine. More than 60 other sponsors donated products, dinners and gift cards. The club returned to Queens Landing in Mooresville this year.

The tournament is touted as a family affair, with four angler divisions that can take home prizes and cash. There were eight husband-and-wife teams, 26 (over 55) senior teams and 12 adult/child teams.