That's what greeted the 15 anglers in 11 boats that fished today's tournament out of West Neck Marina. At day's end, the final tally was 39 fish weighed, for a combined total weight of 78.93 lbs., an average weight per fish of 2.02 lbs., and an average weight per boat of 7.17 lbs.
Those anglers who went home with a pay envelope included the following:
The team of (from left) Steve Bailey and Bobby Moore, 1st place, with a five-fish total weight of 12.52 lbs. They also captured the big-fish money with a bass weighing 5.38 lbs.
Stan Krason, 2nd place, with a five-fish total weight of 11.66 lbs. He didn't have a big fish.
The team of (from left) Wayne Hayes and Jim Crist, 3rd place, with a five-fish total weight of 11.51 lbs. Their big fish weighed 3.61 lbs.
Craig Jones claimed the mystery-weight award with a two-fish total weight of 4.20 lbs., which was closest to the drawn weight of 2.15. He didn't have a big fish.
Here is how everyone else finished the competition:
* Gary Coderre, five fish, 10.99 lbs. total weight, 3-lb. big fish.
* Andy Morath, five fish, 8.87 lbs. total weight, 3.91-lb. big fish.
* Rob Peppers, five fish, 6.51 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
* The team of Dave Anderson and Ken Testorff, three fish, 6.44 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
* Skip Schaible, four fish, 6.23 lbs. total weight, 2.07-lb. big fish.
* Eddie Sapp and the team of Bob Glass and J. P. Twohig didn't weigh any fish.
Two more anglers joined the group of those now eligible to fish our two-day season-ending Classic tournament. To date, 15 anglers comprise this group, with three qualifying tournaments remaining.
Congratulations to all of today's winners, and thanks to everyone who came out to participate. My hat's also off to those who assisted me in making everything possible. For planning purposes, our next scheduled event is next Saturday, Sept. 14. We will launch at safe light (about 6:30), with weigh-in at 2:30. I hope you can join us.
The chase for Angler of the Year looks like this after adding today's final tallies to the mix:
Steve Bailey - 148.70
Gary Coderre - 136.66
Ken Testorff - 134.69
Bobby Moore - 134.17
Dave Anderson - 126.55
With only two hours left of today's competition, I had reached the end of my patience with all the grass and duckweed that Dave and I had encountered all day long. I had one bait in my box that I knew would handle these ingredients without my having to clean it constantly. That bait, of course, was a hollow-bodied frog. I'm probably the worst frog fisherman on planet Earth, so I approached my decision to bring one out and tie it on only after very careful consideration.
For about 30 minutes or so, I kept tossing the frog, knowing full well that if a fish attacked it, I likely would swing and miss. Those self-doubts were running rampant in my head when, all of a sudden, a fish smacked the frog with authority, and as soon as I felt him, I reared back with a hookset. No one was more surprised than me when I subsequently saw the hooked fish take off with my bait. Moments later, Dave slid the net under him, and I felt a small degree of satisfaction and confidence. Reckon I'll now have to try improving on my frog fishing.
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