http://www.lakewyliepilot.com/local/sto ... 8959c.html
By John Marks Lake Wylie Pilot
(Published July 17‚ 2007)
LAKE WYLIE -- Maybe fishing is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.
The same Catawba River waters that made news recently for yielding carnivorous northern snakehead and what was thought to be a piranha might now be home to a $25,000 bass.
Early Times Kentucky Whisky is giving local reelers the chance to hook its top prize in the Early Times Tagged Fish Challenge. Lake Wylie is one of 14 lakes in 14 states to be stocked with 50 tagged bass, with one fish in each lake swimming with a tag priced at $25,000. Lake Norman also is included in the event, representing North Carolina.
Any tagged fish must be caught by July 31 to claim the prize. Any angler catching a tagged fish will automatically receive a prize pack from Early Times, and one angler will receive $1,000 regardless of whether the top prize is caught. The event was held last year on Santee Cooper, where Brad Jones of Pinewood won $1,000.
"We didn't receive as many tags from South Carolina as we did the other states, but we were still able to give away big money and hope to give away even more in 2007," said Alan George, brand director for Early Times.
Louis Hinton, who bream fishes on Lake Wylie once every couple of weeks, wonders if he could reel in a $25,000 fish. He said Thursday while fishing at Copperhead Island that he figures that kind of fish might be too big for him to handle. He's sticking to bream.
"That's the reason I come fishing here is for the relaxation," Hinton said.
Then there is William "The Catfish" Caltagirone, who bank fishes with friends from Olympic High School and Steele Creek about once a week. If there is a $25,000 prize swimming through the lake, Caltagirone plans to catch it -- as soon as he and his friends can get out past the bank.
"We need to get a boat out here," he said.
Anyone catching one of the 50 tagged bass in Lake Wylie can claim their prize by logging on to
www.earlytimes.com. Eligible participants must be at least age 21 and have a valid fishing license. All fish must be registered online by July 31. The $25,000 winning tag number was selected in advance. Grand prize and $1,000 first prize winners will be notified the first two weeks of August.
For more information, visit
www.earlytimes.com .
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