Neuse River Pre-Tournament Notes

The next stop for the Neuse Sport Shop Eastern NC Bass Challenge will take us to New Bern, NC, and the Neuse River at Lawsons Creek where we are guaranteeing a $3,000 1st place prize to the winners!

The Neuse River is a favorite among local anglers as it provides ample opportunities to catch numbers of bass. Anglers fishing the Neuse River and the nearby Trent River have recently reported great days on the water catching quality bass throughout the spring.

This tournament is scheduled to take place this Sunday, April 28 and anglers can review this article to get all the information they need for this upcoming event.

Tournament Information

Location: Neuse River
City: New Bern, NC
Launch Ramp: Lawsons Creek Boat Ramp – Google Maps Link
Fish Limit: 5 fish, 2 fish may be between 12-14 inches.

Off Limits

There are no off-limits dates for this event. Anglers may practice as much as they’d like for this tournament.

Tournament Times

Our crew will be on-site at 5:00 am to handle onsite angler check-in for the event. All anglers must check in with our staff and receive a boat number slip before our tournament begins. Blast off will begin at safe light. We always blast our anglers off as early as possible to maximize fishing time. We anticipate blasting off for this event at approximately 6:30 am.

Onsite Angler Check-in: 5:00 am
Blast Off: Safe Light – Approximately 6:30 am
Weigh-in: 3:00 pm
Early Weigh-in: All anglers may begin weighing in at 1:30 pm if needed.

Tournament Ramps

There are 2 ramps at Lawsons Creek. We are using ramp #1. You may use ramp #2 but you are required to idle back to ramp #1 to check in at the tournament trailer and to have your live well checked. Once you have your live well checked you may not exit the staging area until after blast off.

Tournament Blast Off

PLEASE READ – Live well checks will be performed before you launch your boat. After you launch your boat into the water, please clear the ramp so others may have ample space to launch as well. We ask all anglers to please stage to the left of the ramp. We will call boat numbers from the dock. You are required to have on a life jacket and your kill switch attached. If you do not, we will not allow you to blast off. After your boat number is called, you may idle out of the no-wake zone and get on plane. See the below map for an illustration. Finally, be courteous at the boat ramp, dim your lights when launching your boat, and be safe.

Truck/Trailer Parking

There is ample parking at this location. Anglers may park in the parking lot by the boat ramp See the above image for illustration.

Boat Numbers and Flights

During registration, teams are assigned boat numbers. We blast off boats in order based on these numbers. Every 25 boats will begin a new flight. The first flight is due back in at 3:00 and every proceeding flight after that is due back in 10 minutes later. Boat numbers are visible on the homepage of this website.

Fees and Costs

All fees may be paid online or in person on the morning of the tournament with cash, credit card, Venmo, Cash App, or PayPal.

Entry Fee: $105 – Purchase Online
Membership Fee: $25 per angler (One-time fee) – Purchase Online – A membership fee is not required for children under the age of 18, women, or men aged 60 or older.
Super 6 Points Championship (Optional) – Purchase Online – This is your last opportunity to purchase the Super 6 Points Championship option. It must be paid before blast off of this tournament.

Payouts, Incentives, & Contingency Prizes

1st Place Guarantee: 2 commemorative trophies + $3,000 thanks to our friends at Neuse Sport Shop
Greenville Toyota Tournament Big Bass: $400
Derek’s Boxes 2nd Place Big Bass: $100
Striker Apparel 3rd Big Bass: Striker T-Shirt

We reward the top 16% of the field. Which is generally 1 place paid for every 6 teams that compete in a tournament.

We’re happy to offer our anglers several incentives and contingency prizes this year. Our events in 2024 will be officially sanctioned events for the following contingencies:

• Ranger Cup
• Triton Gold
• Nitro Tournament Rewards
• Caymas Cash – Silver Level

Other Angler Incentives:

• Every angler who competes with us this weekend will receive 10% off in-store and online purchases at Neuse Sport Shop. You must provide us with your email address and phone number so we can enter you into our database to receive the discount.
• Every angler who competes with us this weekend will receive a 25% off coupon code they can use at strikerbrands.com. Your discount code will be on your boat number slip you receive when you check-in the morning of the tournament.

Payout Information

All prize winnings will be paid out with official “Jeffrey Davis Fishing” checks. Please deposit these checks within 30 days of the tournament. By request, anglers may receive their payouts digitally through PayPal, Cash App, or Venmo. Anglers may also choose to forward their winnings towards an entry fee for future tournaments.

Polygraphs

Anglers should expect a Polygraph Test to be given at this event.

Live Leaderboard & Live Streaming

During the weigh-in, anglers will be able to view their results and current standings on our Live Leaderboard. We will also be live-streaming the weigh-in on our Facebook/Instagram accounts so family and friends can watch online. Make sure you’re following us on our official Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Please note –  our live streaming will be contingent on our wireless signal

Thank you all for fishing with Bass Challenge. We’re looking forward to a great tournament. If you have additional questions or need assistance with anything tournament-related please contact Jeffrey Davis at 252.661.5454.