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TEAM TOURNAMENT
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| Date: | | May 31, 2008 |
| Region: | | 2008 South Region |
| Tournament: | | Choke Canyon#2 |
| Tournament Trail: | | 2008 Bass Champs Tournament Trail |
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| Hot action on Choke Canyon for Bass Champs South Region Anglers – |
| By: Patty Lenderman |
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It was a scorcher on Choke Canyon May 31 for the Bass Champs South Region finale tournament. 152 teams headed out to fish in the last push of the season. The payback totaled $42,500 in cash and prizes awarded to the top 20 teams. Several hawgs were brought in making for an exciting weigh in, including three double digit bass. Less than ¼ pound separated 1st and 2nd place – Tony Gutierrez & Bill Garza stayed ahead of the pack to take the win.
“We had a good early morning bite” Gutierrez began. They had found a couple of spots during practice the week before the tournament that was holding some quality fish. “We fished main lake points and old pond dams.” Using Carolina rigged lizards, they fished deep in 19’-23’ of water. “We had the majority of our fish by 9am including our three biggest bass.” Their three biggest included a 10 pounder, a 9 and a 7 pounder. “Catching all of these big fish early took a lot of pressure off the rest of the day. We kept catching fish, but made our last good cull around 1:00.” They were able to exchange a two pound bass for a five pounder. “It was hot. We had been taking good care of the fish with ice, hydrogen peroxide and the Sure-Life-Catch and Release formula. We decided to go in a little early while the fish were still in good shape and weigh them in.” When all the bass in their bag were put on the scales, the official tally was 33.62 pounds, giving them the win by a slim but decisive margin. Bass Champs presented them with $20,000 plus they also received another $200 from Sure Life for using their product in the livewell. “We normally fish out of Bill’s Skeeter Boat and would have qualified for the Skeeter Bonus. He didn’t get to do any pre-fishing, so all of our spots were marked in my GPS” Tony stated. “I’d like to thank my sponsors Nitro Boats and Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Marine and Travis Boating Center.”
Taking a very close 2nd place with 33.40 pounds was the team of Adam Pereira and Arlen Hauschild. “There wasn’t much of a morning bite for us” Arlen explained. “We still didn’t have a keeper in the boat at 9:30. Finally, around 10:00 we caught our first fish.” They found their luck using Carolina rigged watermelon red lizards. “We fished deep, probably 18’-20’ in areas that had grass close by. As long as the wind blew, the fish were biting.” They bagged their 8.68 lb kicker around noon. “Adam caught our three biggest bass today. We didn’t travel – just stayed in the same spot all day.” They were awarded $3,000 for their 2nd place win. They would like to thank their sponsors, Seguin Insurance Agency and Quantum Reels.
The sheer number of big bass brought to the scales was impressive. Choke Canyon has earned a reputation for pumping out some huge bass, and they were definitely biting on tournament day! Tony Gutierrez and Bill Garza had a 10.00 pound bass, Eric White and George Steel brought in an 11.36 pounder. Matt Cannon fishing with Jerry Vann brought in the 12.06 pound sow that won Big Bass honors! “We started out fishing points” Matt said. “We got a pretty quick limit that weighed about 10 pounds and culled up from there.” They moved out to a ridge, cranking Norman DD-22’s. “I use 12 pound test line on my crank baits. We just had a few minutes left before we had to head in. It was about 2:45, and I thought it was a gasper goo or a catfish. It dove deep as soon as I hooked her. My biggest worry was for it to get into the brush with that light line.” Stripping drag, it did get into the brush and Matt had his work cut out for him as he worked it free and toward the boat. “It was a good fight, but I finally got her in. I’d like to thank God, and Jesus Christ my Saviour. This was a huge blessing.” Matt was presented with $1,000 for his big bass catch, plus another $600 for their 12th place overall finish. Matt’s sponsors include Falcon Rods, Nestle Water, and Hunter Concrete Pumping Co.
Top Teams:
1st $20,000+ 33.62 lbs Tony Gutierrez & Bill Garza
2nd $ 3,000 33.40 lbs Adam Pereira & Arlen Hauschild
3rd $ 1,800 26.98 lbs Trent Huckaby & Bubba Haralson
4th $ 1,000 25.64 lbs Dave Cole & Mike Bates
5th $ 1,000 25.18 lbs Clayton Heldt & Ronnie Heldt
5th (tie) $ 1,000+ 25.18 lbs Jason Buchanan & Charles Whited
7th $ 900 25.16 lbs Tim Blanchette & Ted Sprencel
8th $ 800 24.48 lbs Derick Kuyrkendall & Forrest Wilson
9th $ 750 23.78 lbs Malcolm Kitchen & Mike Powers
10th $ 650 22.98 lbs Dan Rodriguez & Cary Pruski
Sponsor Incentive Bonus Winners:
Skeeter Bonus $1,000 Jason Buchanan & Charles Whited
Sure Life Bonus $ 200 Tony Gutierrez & Bill Garza
Congratulations to the 2008 South Region Anglers of the Year Derick Kuyrkendall & Forrest Wilson. Their consistency paid off putting them at the top of the points standings to earn this prestigious title. Their 2009 entry fees will be waived as a part of the benefits of the title. Congratulations!
The Year-End Championship qualifiers from the South Region are listed below. The following teams have qualified and will have a Free Entry into the $100,000 + All Cash Bass Champs team championship presented by Yamaha.
Angler 1 Angler 2 How they Qualified
Derrick Kuyrkendall Forrest Wilson 1st Angler of the Year
Felipe DeLa Garza Dolores Robles 2nd Angler of the Year
Lee Leonard Michael Bronder 3rd Angler of the Year
Jason Buchanan Charles Whited 4th Angler of the Year
Scott Gover Richard Broxton 5th Angler of the Year
John Mills Scott Burris 6th Angler of the Year
Dave Cole Mike Bates 7th Angler of the Year
Terry Oldham Jaime Buitron 8th Angler of the Year
Charlie Forster Tommy Lackey 9th Angler of the Year
Beau Schott Blake Barnett 10th Angler of the Year
Tony Guitierrez Bill Garza 1st Qualifier at final event
Adam Pereira Arlen Hauschild 2nd Qualifier at final event.
Trent Huckaby Bubba Haralson 3rd Qualifier at final event
Clayton Heldt Ronnie Heldt 4th Qualifier at final event
Tim Blanchette Ted Sprencel 5th Qualifier at final event
Dan Rodriquez Cary Pruski 6th Qualifier at final event
Allen Shelton John McCalmont 7th Qualifier at final event
Brian Flemming Jr. Mike Flemming 8th Qualifier at final event
Chance Hundley Cody Hundley 9th Qualifier at final event
David Meyer Scott Smoot 10th Qualifier at final event
Luis Navarro Luis Navarro Jr. Top Junior Team
Brad Nichols Jeff Richards Top with qualified Skeeter (tie)
Kyle Keller Michael Brawley Top with qualified Skeeter (tie)
Ira Lynn Danny Moy Random Draw
Tim Cook Brian Washburn Random Draw
Roger Slaughter Carl Ames Random Draw
Bass Champs will stay on Choke Canyon to wrap up the Central Region with their last tournament on June 7. The East Region will have its final event on Sam Rayburn June 14, then the North Region will head to Richland Chambers June 28. Good luck anglers as the regions wrap up the 2008 season!
For more information on any Bass Champs tournaments, please call 817-439-3274 or click to www.BassChamps.com
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