Ratliff & Houser Win On The Roanoke

Roanoke River – Plymouth, NC (October 19, 2019)

The first tournament for the NC Bassmaster Junior & High School Eastern Division kicked off over the weekend on the Roanoke River. Teams were met with cooler weather as temps were in the upper forties during the start of the event. Teams revealed that although they were getting bites throughout the day, it was the keeper bites that were hard to come by.

Nicholas Ratliff and Thomas Houser secured the top spot with a weight of 7.03 lbs. Like the other teams, the duo had to sort through numerous small fish bites to finally net their four keepers, including their last keeper with only minutes of fishing time remaining. The anglers used soft plastic craw imitations around wood cover to entice the bites. For their efforts, Ratliff and Houser were awarded matching first place plaques and Lews rod & reel combos, with the rod & reel combos provided in part by Outdoor Accessories Unlimited.

Fishing alone, angler Ethan Johnson filled the second position with his catch of 5.81 lbs. Johnson received matching plaques for his runner-up effort, one of which he shared with his father/boat captain.

Ethan Gilbert & Cody Anderson settled for the third position with their nice catch of a 4.03 lb largemouth that also became the largest single fish of the event.

Filling the fourth position was Porter Lochner with his catch of 2.06 lbs while the tandem of Lauren Scott and Kristen Hardee ended the day in the fifth position with 1.65 lbs.

Although the day proved to be tough for all competitors, I am very proud of the efforts that each team put forth. Everyone fished hard, right up to the very last minute of the event. That takes dedication and passion. For that, each of you prove yourselves as avid anglers and ambassadors for our sport.

Our next event will take place on Kerr Lake. We hope to see you there.

Random event photos (Photos courtesy of Leslie & Emily Ratliff):