RALEIGH – Charles Benjamin of New Bern caught quite a few catfish and brim on Saturday morning, but the catch of the day would weigh in as a $150,000 lottery prize.

On the way home from his fishing trip, Benjamin stopped at the Duck Thru Food Store on N.C. 43 in Vanceboro and purchased two of the new $5 Trucks & Bucks tickets.

“I found a dollar on the ground right when I got out of the car,” Benjamin said. “So I was already feeling lucky. I started scratching the ticket and saw that I had won something. When I saw those zeroes, all I could think about is how much this will help my family. And yes, I’m going to buy a new rod and reel.”

After state and federal taxes were withheld, Benjamin received a check for $103,876.

“This feels fantastic,” Benjamin said as he collected his winnings on Monday. “This sort of thing never happens to me, but I’m so glad it did.”

Benjamin is the first player to win the game’s top prize. As of Monday afternoon, three more $150,000 prizes remain to be claimed in the game.

Additionally, players can enter their Trucks & Bucks instant scratch-off tickets into a second-chance drawing on the lottery’s Lucke-Zone website for a chance to win their choice of a 2015 truck. Three winners will have a choice between a Chevrolet® Silverado™ 1500 LT Z71, Ford F-150 Lariat Super Crew or Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Quad Cab. Each truck has an approximate value of $52,000. The first drawing will occur on May 7 with an entry deadline of April 30.

Ticket sales have made it possible for the lottery to raise more than $3.6 billion for the state. Net proceeds will be used this year to help pay salaries of teachers and teacher assistants, for pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk four-year-olds, for school construction and repair, and need-based college scholarships and financial aid.

For details on how $31 million in lottery funds have made a difference for specific education programs in Craven County, click on the “Where the Money Goes” tab on the lottery’s website.