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TEAM TOURNAMENT
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| Date: | | June 16, 2007 |
| Region: | | 2007 East Region |
| Tournament: | | Sam Rayburn #4 2007 |
| Tournament Trail: | | 2007 Bass Champs Tournament Trail |
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| Littleton & Chambers take the win at the Bass Champs East Region finale on Sam Rayburn |
| By: Patty Lenderman |
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Bass Champs East Texas Region wrapped up their 2007 season June 16 at the Umphrey Family Pavilion on Sam Rayburn. 222 teams fished for $57,720 in cash and prizes, an incredible 99% payback! Littleton & Chambers topped the field with more than 24 pounds to take the win, and reeled in Big Bass honors with their double digit kicker!
Unpredictable weather patterns are typical for East Texas summers. At take-off, there was barely a breeze under partly cloudy skies. As the day progressed, the clouds continued to thicken, darken, and rumbling thunder became a constant warning of what was to come. By mid day the bottom fell out, putting an array of rain gear to the test.
There was a lot at stake in this tournament. The prize money, of course, but it was also the last push in the Angler of the year race. The top 10 teams by points will be fishing the Championship with their entry fees waived. The team who caught the biggest bass of the tournament would additionally receive two tickets to enter the Dodge Mega Bass tournament in July.
Todd Littleton & Daniel Chambers were among the last teams to weigh in. As Todd brought their sack to the scales, their kicker was weighed first. It won Big Bass honors for them weighing 10.64 lbs! Todd landed the big bass, and stated that it was his personal best so far. Putting the rest of their creel in with it, their total weight came to 24.16 lbs to win 1st place and $20,000. All total they won $21,000 plus two free entries into the Dodge Mega Bass tournament. “It was real slow for us in the morning” Littleton explained. “We had no fish in the livewell for the first couple of hours.” They were fishing deep grass, about 12' with a black & blue jig and a matching Gene Larew craw trailer. “We only went to three spots, back in pockets. Finally, about 10:30 we had a limit put together.” They were able to cull one time, around 1:00.
Bill Hudspeth and Ricky Potts brought their 23.02 lb limit to the scales to win 2nd place. “We just stuck to the basics” stated Bill Hudspeth. They were throwing a 1 ounce Carolina rigged V & M lizard at points, 13'-18' deep. “We had a small limit, about 14 pounds, in the boat by 8:00. By 10:00 we culled with four bigger ones and by then it was basically over for us.” Their biggest bass weighed 6.34 lbs. They were the highest finishing team in a qualified Skeeter Boat, but Hudspeth works for Skeeter and could not accept the bonus money. Their winnings for the day totaled $5,000. “We’d like to thank Shimano, Skeeter, Yamaha, V & M plastics and Winchester Sportsmans Outfitters.”
Phillip & Don Mattern won 3rd place with 21.74 lbs. They are brothers, and each pastor churches - Don in Palestine and Phillip in Conroe. Phillip gave Don all the credit for catching their fish, while Don said that Phillip was a great net man. “We started out shallow using chartreuse & white, tandem double willow spinnerbaits. We caught two over six pounds then we moved back to water 5'-6' and finished our limit with wacky worms.” Fishing the north end of the lake, they targeted pepper grass down the sides of points and flats. “The bass were aggressive! The Lord really helped us today by bringing the rain. It moved the big bass to the shallow water. Otherwise, the jig guys would’ve got them!” They won $3,000 for their 3rd place finish.
Top teams:
1st $20,000 24.16 lbs Todd Littleton & Daniel Chambers
2nd $ 5,000 23.02 lbs Ricky Potts & Bill Hudspeth
3rd $ 3,000 21.74 lbs Phillip & Don Mattern
4th $ 2,000 20.96 lbs Allen Shelton & Heath Moody ( + $2000 Skeeter Bonus)
5th $ 1,200 20.76 lbs James Elliott & Ron Hendricks
6th $ 1,090 20.42 lbs Vincent Neal & Kyle Rowe
7th $ 1,080 19.76 lbs Roger Nash & Charles Patterson
8th $ 1,070 19.30 lbs Chris Clemens & Dallas Cole
9th $ 1,060 18.66 lbs Cory Rambo & Jason Woods
10th $ 1,050 17.98 lbs Douglas Posey & Lloyd Curtis
.....and last in the money....
29th $ 500 14.98 lbs Pete & Allan Shivers
Big Bass $1,000 10.64 lbs Todd Littleton & Daniel Chambers
Eric Wilson weighed in the first even weight of the day, and cashed in on the $250 Skeeter Dealer bonus by having a signed business card from a Skeeter Dealer with him.
Congratulations to Lance Hughes and Scooter Clark. They are the 2007 East Texas Anglers of the Year. Along with this prestigious title, their entry fees for the 2008 season are waived. The Anglers of the Year from each region will participate in the annual International Challenge event at Sugar Lake in Mexico. This will be the third year, with Mexico winning the first year, the USA winning last year. Good luck anglers! Keep the trophy in America!
Top 10 teams of the year:
1294 pts Lance Hughes & Scooter Clark
1221 pts Douglas Posey & Lloyd Curtis
1188 pts Martin Elshout & Mark Price
1181 pts Phillip & Don Mattern
1180 pts Rusty Clark & Shelby Shaw
1169 pts Terry Helgeson & Anthony Clemens
1163 pts Clint & Clay West
1139 pts Vincent Neal & Kyle Rowe
1126 pts Michael Freck & Roney McMillen
1122 pts Randall Cagle & James Shaw
Tournament stats:
Total Entries: 222 Teams Total Collected: $57,720.00
Total Payback (C&P): $57,350.00 Payback Percentage: 99%
Total Fish: 709 Total Weight: 1846.88 lbs.
Average Weight: 2.60 lbs. Number of limits: 116
The Championship will be held October 20-21. It will be a combined championship for the East and North Regions. It will be held on a “neutral” lake, which will be announced at a later date. Over $100,000 is guaranteed with the 1st place winner receiving $30,000! Good luck qualifiers!
Upcoming Bass Champs hosted events:
July 29 Sam Rayburn 1st Annual Dodge Mega Bass Tournament
Sept 8-9 Choke Canyon 1st Annual Anchor Marine Big Bass Round-up
Sept 21-23 Clarks Hill Lake Southeast Skeeter Owners Tournament
Sept 28 Lake Lewisville 5th annual DBJ Charity Event
Oct 13-14 Lake Fork 2nd annual Berkley Big Bass Tournament
For more information, click to www.basschamps.com or call 817-439-3274.
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