23rd Annual Spring Bass Fishing Tournament Was One for the Books
On April 17, McGill hosted its 23rd Annual Spring Bass Fishing Tournament at Lake Rhodhiss. A total of 26 boats with 52 anglers enjoyed a full day of fishing, starting at 8:00 AM and wrapping up at 4:00 PM.
Rick Bradford and Scott Loftis, representing the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC), took home the first-place prize of $500. Alex Lowdermilk, representing McGill, earned the prize for largest largemouth bass with a catch weighing 3.85 pounds. He also caught the largest non-bass fish, weighing 0.2 pounds. Alex’s teammate had to cancel at the last minute due to a family emergency, so he braved the lake solo in his kayak.
Top 1o Boats
Listed below are the top ten boats, all of which received cash prizes. Each team’s total catch weight is shown in pounds:
- 1st Place: Rick Bradford and Scott Loftis, NCWRC (8.7 pounds)
- 2nd Place: Corey Patton and Matt Lambert, NCWRC (7.3 pounds)
- 3rd Place: Jamie Chandler and Austin Shelton, Town of Marshall, NC (7.15 pounds)
- 4th Place: Alex Lowdermilk, McGill (7.05 pounds)
- 5th Place: Vann Johnson and Reed Johnson, Highland Property Pros (6.85 pounds)
- 6th Place: Michael Hughes and Charles Hughes (6.6 pounds)[EB1]
- 7th Place: Tyson Fortenberry and Ely Yancey, McGill (6.4 pounds)
- 8th Place: Richard Shepard Jr., and Stanton Shepard (6.4 pounds)
- 9th Place: Adam Powell and Danny Meany, NCWRC (5.6 pounds)
- 10th Place: Lowell Graves, City of Lenoir, NC, and Clay Graves, Dry Ponds Electric (5.3 pounds)
Thank You to Our Sponsors
A huge thank you to all of our sponsors — this event would not be possible without your support. Your contributions helped provide lunch 
from Jason’s Deli, dinner from JD’s Smokehouse, and a wide variety of raffle prizes for our anglers.
- Lord and Company
- Quality Electric
- Ferguson
- Curtis Power Solutions
- Highland Property Pros, LLC
- Hickory Crawdads
- SESCO Lighting
- New River Building Supply
- Jason’s Deli
- Eaton
- Foothills Drift Club
- Dynamix Enterprises
- Southern Comfort Home Health Care
- Harrisons
- Lowe’s Home Improvement
- Walmart
- Not Just Fishin
- Thin Red Line Firearms
- Tastebuds Popcorn
Congratulations to All Our Winners
This tournament provided an excellent opportunity for participants to come together and enjoy the spring weather. At McGill, we place high value on building strong relationships among staff and the communities we serve. We look forward to more stories and adventures at next year’s tournament.
