Can't speak for the 15 other Day 1 (Oct. 13) participants or the 14 other Day 2 (Oct. 14) participants (e.g., one fella couldn't make Day 2), but this angler is glad to see the 2018 season come to a close. My spirits soar in knowing that all the way from now until late March, there will be no more 2 a.m. Saturday rises, with sleep not coming again until, in most cases, midnight Saturday night.
That being said, however, now comes the time when I tell the whole world how our two-day season-ending Classic tournament turned out. For openers, the 16 anglers in 10 boats brought a grand total of 88 bass to the scales over the two-day period. Total weight for these fish was 180.18 lbs., or a 2.04-lb. average weight per fish.
Those anglers who went home with a payday included all of the following:
Chris Napier led the field all the way, finishing the tournament in 1st place with a total weight of 27.73 lbs. He also claimed the tournament's big fish, with a 5.15-lb. bass that he caught on Day 1.
Eddie Sapp finished the two days with a solid 23.66-lb. tally, which propelled him into 2nd place. His big fish for the tournament, caught on Day 2, weighed in at 3.84 lbs.
Claiming 3rd place with a score of 22.71 lbs. of fish was the team of (from left) Don Carter and Rob Peppers. Their tournament big fish came on Day 1--a 3.53-pounder.
The seasonal-lunker award, for the biggest tournament bass weighed all year long, went to this team of (from left) Jim Crist and Eric Killian. Back on April 21, they weighed a fish that tipped the scales at 7.68 lbs.
The year's Duane Kessel Memorial Award, an all-new award for the highest single-day total weight, went to these young guns, (from left) Eddie Sapp and Stan Krason, who, back on April 28, brought these five big 'uns to the scales. The fish weighed a total of 23.87 lbs. For their efforts, Eddie and Stan will each receive a plaque, honoring our long-time fellow-tournament angler Duane Kessel, who passed away Jan. 29, 2018.
And the final mystery-weight award of the year went to this team of (from left) Wayne Hayes and Al Napier. They brought five fish to the scales on Day 1, weighing 8.32 lbs., but didn't weigh anything on Day 2. That 8.32 lbs. was closest to the drawn weight of 7.45. The mystery-weight prize for the Classic was a new Lew's baitcast reel, provided courtesy of Rob Chatham.
Here's how all the other Classic fishermen finished the two days:
* Stan Krason, 9 fish, 22.29 lbs. total weight, 5.04-lb. big fish.
* The team of Jim Crist and Eric Killian, 10 fish, 20.95 lbs. total weight, 4.73-lb. big fish.
* The team of Steve Bailey and Bobby Moore, 10 fish, 18.71 lbs. total weight, 4.33-lb. big fish.
* The team of Gary Coderre and Andy Morath, 10 fish, 15.37 lbs. total weight, 2.53-lb. big fish.
* The team of Skip Schaible and Ken Testorff, 9 fish, 11.80 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
* Jim Wilder (only fished Day 1), 5 fish, 8.64 lbs. total weight, 4.44-lb. big fish.
My heartiest congratulations to all the winners throughout the whole season, and thanks to those who supported the effort to keep the memory of Dewey Mullins alive by participating in his namesake tournaments. I can't help but feel that, somewhere, Dewey is nodding in appreciation of what we're doing with one of those oh-so-familiar big ol' smiles of his.
How can you tell when you're getting old? There are lots of different ways, but one that was ever so telling this past Saturday morning was when four or five of the Day 1 competitors showed up in shorts and shirt sleeves. It blew me away seeing them standing out there on the bow of their boats in those 60-degree temperatures, while I was bundled up in a long-sleeved shirt and jacket, and my partner was decked out in some of his typical hunting gear.
By Day 2, however, when the early-morning temps had dipped into the 50s, nearly everyone had joined us old(er) folks by adding pieces to their attire, starting with long pants. And Skip and I felt much more like one of the gang as we moved among the other anglers.
Another way to tell when you're getting old is, as weigh-in time on Day 2 draws near, your partner turns to you and says, "I've had it. I'm not sure I can make another cast." Somehow, though, both of you keep chunkin' and windin' for that fifth fish of the day until a few more minutes has passed, and it's finally--thankfully--time to head for the dock.
There's an old song that starts off with these words: "You gotta have heart, all you really need is heart." But friends, I'm here to tell you, and I'm pretty sure Skip agrees, that you gotta have more than heart. My heart is fine...it's the rest of me that has trouble getting across the finish line.
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