2023 Classic-Qualifying Season Is History

There were 15 anglers in 8 boats who showed up at West Neck Creek Marina in the wee hours this morning for what was a windy day of tournament bass fishing. Of course, choosing which was windier...the weather or the anglers...is, at best, a matter of conjecture. After all, fishermen in general, and bass fishermen in particular, have a reputation for S-T-R-R-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G the truth from time to time.

I assure you, however, it's totally true that these 15 fishermen brought 35 bass to the scales for a combined weight of 64.19 pounds, or an average weight per fish of 1.83 pounds.

At the end of the day, the scoreboard included the names of the following winners:

In 1st place (will miracles never cease?) was the team of  (from left) Jim Crist and Eric Killian, who, believe it or not, actually made it back to the weigh-in site on time for a change, with a five-fish limit weighing 13.53 pounds. Their big fish weighed 3.85 pounds. (Please know I'm only kidding around here. These two guys, without question, are A-OK, in my opinion.)

Finishing in 2nd place, also with a limit, was the team of (from left) Don Carter and Rob Peppers (glad to have you back with us, Rob). Their five fish weighed 11.55 pounds, including a big fish that tipped the scales at 4.29 pounds, which was good enough to claim lunker-of-the-day honors. Because the first-place team opted not to participate in the side pot, Don and Rob...by default...also claimed that pay envelope.

And finally, in 3rd place, was the team of (from left) Wayne Hayes and Ken Testorff. Their limit came in at 9.89 pounds, with a big fish that weighed 4.07 pounds.

It's truly nothing out of the ordinary for my partner to put on a clinic, and today was no exception. Besides all the bass he brought to the net was a whole bunch of white perch, a bluegill, a catfish, and a puppy drum (yes, you heard me right). That says nothing of the other day, when we were out for a fun day, and he boated a flounder and a crappie, along with a bunch of bass and some white perch. I assure you my days on the water with Wayne...from the git-go...have been and I'm certain will continue to be anything but boring.

The other anglers who participated in today's tournament finished in the following order:
     * The father-son team of Ralph and Ryan Land weighed a limit, totaling 8.46 pounds, with no big fish.
     * The team of Dave Anderson and Skip Schaible weighed a limit, totaling 7.49 pounds, with a big fish weighing 2.21 pounds.
     * The team of Bobby Moore and J. P. Twohig weighed a limit, totaling 7.13 pounds, with a big fish weighing 2.83 pounds.
     * Andy Morath, fishing solo today, weighed a limit, totaling 6.14 pounds, with no big fish.
     * The team of Steve Bailey and Dennis Dean didn't weigh any fish.

Five more competitors sealed their eligibility to fish our one-day Classic tournament on Saturday, Oct. 14 as a result of participating in today's event. These anglers include Skip Schaible, Bobby Moore, J. P. Twohig, Ryan Land, and Eric Killian. These additions bring the total number of Classic-qualified anglers to 21. Others already on the list prior to today include Craig Jones, Rob Chatham, Jim Leavis, Ken Matthias, Andy Morath, Diana Morath, Steve Bailey, Dennis Dean, Rob Peppers, Don Carter, Dave Anderson, Gary Coderre, Mark Ingram, Jimmy Crist, Wayne Hayes, and Ken Testorff.

Last but certainly not least, let me further take note of the fact that Dave Anderson (left) has won the dash for 2023 Angler of the Year. He finished this season with 99.91 points over the course of fishing nine tournaments. I also should note that he first won this prize back in 2018, when he set the all-time highest mark to date for AOY. That year, he accumulated 185.77 points, spread over the course of fishing 15 tournaments.

Runners-up for this year's AOY title included the team of Wayne Hayes and Ken Testorff (only ones to have fished all 10 tournaments) with 91.51 points, and Don Carter with 89.70 points.

Congratulations to all of these winners, and thanks to everyone who came out to participate.

Final Overall Statistics

(Note: Seasonal lunker pot winner(s) can change yet during Classic tournament.)