I think nearly all of the 17 anglers in 11 boats would agree there was nothing easy about the last two days on the water. However, they all managed to put some fish in the boat, as evidenced by their grand total of 86 bass caught, for a combined total weight of 176.72 lbs. The average weight per fish was 2.05 lbs., and the average weight per boat was 16.06 lbs.
Here are those anglers who excelled during the competition and took home some money in their pockets:
The team of (from left) Don Carter and Rob Peppers, 1st place, 10 bass, 23.26 lbs. They also claimed big-bass honors for the tournament with a day 2 fish weighing 5.18 lbs.
Gary Coderre, 2nd place, 10 bass, 22.55 lbs. His big fish weighed 3.50 lbs.
The team of (from left) Eric Killian and Jim Crist, 3rd place, 10 bass, 20.45 lbs. They didn't weigh a big fish in the two days.
This year's seasonal-lunker award went to the team of (from left) Eric Killian and Wayne Hayes, for the 7.04-lb. bass they caught back on April 13. Nothin' wrong with a little clowning around--right?
Here is how everyone else stood at the conclusion of today's weigh-in:
* Stan Krason, 10 fish, 19.50 lbs. total weight, 3.70-lb. big bass.
* The husband-wife team of Andy and Diana Morath, nine fish, 18.32 lbs. total weight, 3.27-lb. big bass.
* David Dozier, seven fish, 17.20 lbs. total weight, no big fish.
* The team of Dave Anderson and Ken Testorff, eight fish, 15.20 lbs. total weight, 4.33-lb. big bass.
* Wayne Hayes, eight fish, 14.81 lbs. total weight, 4.12-lb. big bass.
* The team of Bobby Moore and Steve Bailey, six fish, 10.69 lbs. total weight, no big bass.
* The team of Chris and Allen Napier, five fish, 9.59 lbs. total weight, no big bass.
* Skip Schaible, three fish, 5.15 lbs. total weight, no big bass. I should note here that Skip suffered an injury following the Day 1 competition and wasn't able to return to the water on day 2.
The presentation of awards at the conclusion of the cookout today (provided courtesy of Steve Winfree and Gene Lindsey and funded by an anonymous donor) also included a gift from all of the anglers for Leslie Schaible. She assisted me all year long by transcribing the numbers as I called them out at each weigh-in.
Concluding the awards portion of today's events was the presentation of raffle prizes to the following anglers:
Eric Killian's number was drawn for a gift certificate from Murphy's Prop Shop.
Jim Crist's number was drawn for a bag of fishing lures and various related items.
Skip Schaible's number was drawn for a bag containing some hats and fishing line.
I extend my sincere apologies to both Jim and Skip for my miserable photo-taking (Jim's picture too dark and Skip's out of focus). After two days on the water and only about 6 hours of sleep in the last 48, it would be a gross understatement to say I was functioning at less than peak efficiency. I'm truly sorry and will try to do a much better job next time.
One Last Cast
And so another chapter in my life has come to a close with today's Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Classic. After a lot of thought, I have decided to end my tenure as tournament director.
The past seven years have become increasingly difficult for me. Between my spinal stenosis and the usual aches and pains from arthritis and old age in general, I--for lack of a better way of putting it--just can't hack it anymore.
While hoping that one of the anglers would step up to continue the tradition that Dewey started, I thus far have received no indication that anyone wants to take on that responsibility. Accordingly, it is entirely possible this will be the end of the Dewey Mullins Memorial Bass Tourney Series.
If something changes in this scenario before next year arrives, I will report it here.
No comments:
Post a Comment