Got It In Before the Predicted T-Storms Hit

The weather folks had said we likely would get some thunderstorms in the local area today, starting about 3 o'clock, and I'll be darned if they weren't spot on with those predictions. Nevertheless, by the time the raindrops started falling, the 26 anglers in 15 boats had weighed in, the pay envelopes had been doled out, and everyone was in their vehicles headed home... everyone, that is, but a couple of folks, including yours truly, who still was trying to get their boats cleaned up. I ended up backing mine into its storage building and finishing the lick-and-a-promise job there.

That being said, here are the folks who claimed pay envelopes today:

1st Place, the team of (from left) Bob Glass and Randy Conkle. They weighed five bass with a total weight of 12.06 lbs. after a 0.25 deduction for one dead fish. Randy also had today's lunker at 3.48 lbs.

2nd Place, the team of (from left) Mike Miller and Chris Fretard. They weighed five bass with a total weight of 11.52 lbs. Their big fish weighed 3.20 lbs.

3rd Place, the team of (from left) Don Carter and Rob Peppers. They weighed five bass with a total weight of 10.88 lbs. Their big fish weighed 3.39 lbs.

4th Place, Ronnie McLaughlin. He weighed five bass with a total weight of 10.45 lbs. His big fish weighed 3.35 lbs.

Mystery Weight winners were the team of (from left) Sean Vitovich and Wayne Hayes. They weighed four bass with a total weight of 7.07 lbs., which was closest to the 5.90 weight that was drawn.





Here is how everyone else finished the day:

     * The team of Gary Coderre and Mitch Portervint, five bass, 8.72 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * The team of Kevin Love and Brian Skeens, five bass, 8.61 lbs. total weight after a 0.25 deduction for one dead fish, no big fish.
     * The team of Chris Vitovich and Ken Testorff, five bass, 8.58 lbs. total weight, 3.01-lb. big fish.
     * The team of Chris Napier and Al Napier, five bass, 7.29 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * Paul Celentano, five bass, 7.16 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * Jim Bauer, three bass, 3.86 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * The team of Jim Wilder and Darryl Dunn, three bass, 3.55 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
     * The team of Mike Speedy and Stephen Hardwick, three bass, total weight 3.42 lbs. after losing weight of their biggest and smallest fish because the small fish only measured 10 inches (instead of the required 12 inches).
     * Steve Bailey and the husband-wife team of Nathan and Marjorie Gottsch weighed no fish.

Overall, today's anglers weighed a total of 58 bass for a total weight of 103.17 lbs. The average weight was 1.77 lbs.

One more angler became eligible to participate in our season-ending two-day event, bringing the total number to 22.

Congrats to all the winners and thanks to everyone who came out to fish today. For planning purposes, our next scheduled event is Saturday, Aug. 13, from safe light (about 5:45) to 2 p.m. I hope you can join us.

While I had an off day (only boated a total of three bass), my partner for today's tournament, Chris Vitovich, was having a good one. I lost exact count but am fairly certain he must have caught nine or 10 bass. My biggest joy was watching him nail three fish in a row from the same small tree in Milldam. I've seen several anglers pick a couple off a tree, but it's been a good spell since I saw anyone make it three in a row. "Way to go!" my friend.

Today marked the maiden voyage to Milldam for Chris, but I'm fairly certain it certainly won't be his only trip there. I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that he and his son, Sean, maybe have made a couple more trips there in the not-too-distant future.

I had the distinct impression that Chris was elated to find a fairly good crop of grass in Milldam. The fact we witnessed a lot of swirls in that grass throughout the day didn't hurt, either.

From my perspective, it was a fun day. Chris always is good company, and he's a good stick.