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Big bass, big prizes at the Jay Yelas Lake Championship Challenge on Rayburn
Three-hundred sixty-five anglers went out on Sam Rayburn March 31 in search of that one bite to win a part of the $80,000 in cash and prizes given away. The five top bass of each hour received a check, and at the end of the day the top 20 received additional cash and prizes. The top prize was a fully rigged Skeeter ZX200 with a 200 Yamaha motor valued at $38,000. The morning of the tournament was thick with humidity, high with hopes and gripped with anticipation of what could be at the end of each cast. Radio station 102.7 was on site to keep anglers informed throughout the day what was on the leaderboard. In a tournament like this, it's a lot like playing poker. You've got to know when to hold 'em and know when to weigh 'em to get the most buck out of your bass. The scales opened at 7 a.m. and TJ Williams of Fannett brought in the very first fish to the scales weighing 1.99 lbs. As the first hour, 7-8 a.m. was winding to a close, four more anglers weighed in their catch to fill the top five slots.
1st - $1,000 8.87 lbs. Kevin Shivers 2nd - $750 4.28 lbs. Robert Bray 3rd - $500 3.35 lbs. Mark Franks 4th - $250 2.19 lbs. Yarri Schreibvogel 5th - $100 1.99 lbs. TJ Williams Kevin shared the experience of catching his winning bass: "When I first set the hook, she jumped and all I saw was the white underbelly. I thought I had a hybrid. Then she jumped again, and I saw it was a bass!" He was shaken by the experience of catching such a big fish, but continued his report. "I caught her on a Texas rigged watermelon lizard with a chartreuse tail. I was fishing straw grass about 5' deep off of a main lake point. It was my second bite, but first fish of the day. I caught her at 6:40."
They will use some of the proceeds they receive from this tournament for a public awareness campaign and to fund two summer day camps for their members. The way the weigh in is set up, there are two back tanks that the anglers can "hold" their fish in while trying to decide whether or not this is the opportune hour to weigh. If they advance to the front two tanks, they must weigh their fish. 8-9 a.m. hour: 1st - $1,000 7.21 lbs. Glenn Guinn 2nd - $750 6.18 lbs. Marcus Cartwright 3rd - $500 5.53 lbs. Andrea Berry 4th - $250 4.69 lbs. Frankie Cartwright 5th - $100 4.43 lbs. Rodney Cherry
"I was throwing into the grass and moss near a creek channel back in a pocket. She just picked it up and started swimming with it." He had his son Curt Smith and their friend Jake in the boat who were also competing. "As soon as I set the hook I knew it was a big one. It was a fiasco. We didn't have the net out, had to jump over tackle boxes as I worked on getting her in." That was around 7:15 when he caught her, and soon after he landed that one he caught another to take another 1st place spot the next hour. 9 : 0 0 - 1 0 : 0 0 hour: 1st $1,000 7.55 lbs Glenn Guinn 2nd $ 750 6.32 lbs Lorin Lively 3rd $ 500 5.08 lbs John Lewis Jr 4th $ 250 4.05 lbs Pete Shivers 5th $ 100 3.69 lbs Clint Walker About this time, the rain started pouring down, the wind picked up and the thunder and lightening livened up the skies. Even under the protected pavilion area, the rain found a way in. Luckily, it didn't last long and the wind laid down leaving an occasional glimmer of sunshine. Arc brought a catfish tank and rods for all the kids to catch catfish throughout the day. 102.7 announced the leaderboard several times each hour, so anglers still out on the lake could listen and decide to come in and weigh or keep fishing.
1st $1,000 8.16 lbs Keith Drewery 2nd $ 750 7.58 lbs Paul Gomez 3rd $ 500 4.57 lbs Brad Welker 4th $ 250 4.49 lbs Roy Sanford 5th $ 100 4.48 lbs Scott Surrett Keith had pre-fished in search of big bass for this tournament. The day before, he caught one in the 12 pound range. Of course, he went back there to try to get her again and hooked up on his 8.16 lb'r. "It was over in Buck Bay. I was throwing a weightless Christmas tree colored Senko above the grass. I hope everyone is able to go catch some good ones!" 11-noon hour: 1st - $1,000 6.94 lbs. Craig May 2nd - $750 6.26 lbs. Carl Parks 3rd - $500 5.36 lbs. Kevin Shivers 4th - $250 4.14 lbs. Slade Strickland 5th - $100 4.01 lbs. Kenneth Benard Happy the Clown popped in and entertained the kids with tricks, balloons and laughter. More anglers were bringing in their fish with time running out. Noon-1 p.m. hour 1st - $1,000 5.87 lbs. Roger Griffin 2nd - $750 5.57 lbs. Alan Moore 3rd - $500 5.24 lbs. Everett Wright 4th - $250 4.98 lbs. Eddy Gresham 5th - $100 4.69 lbs. Eddie Stagg Griffin had the top bass of the hour, catching her in shallow water, about one foot deep. "I was using a weightless fluke, throwing it up into the buck brush. I caught her about 9 a.m., but waited to bring her in. I figured the weigh in would be slower later." He was right, played that card right and won $1,000. Final - 1-2 p.m. 1st - $1,000 6.17 lbs. Lynn Shivers 2nd - $750 5.35 lbs. Mark Norton 3rd - $500 5.05 lbs. Jeff Buchanan 4th - $250 4.82 lbs. Jimmy Wilson 5th - $50 ea (Tie) 4.58 lbs. Everett Wright and Alan Moore Lynn caught this last top hourly bass in one of his 'lucky spots' on a carolina rigged trick worm. "I was fishing on a bare main lake point. The fish really bit well today. I think the low pressure helped." At the conclusion of the final hour, Wes Dawson of Dawson Marine thanked the many sponsors and participants for making this a successful event. The top 20 anglers of the day were presented with additional cash and prizes. Top 5 prizes & winners: 1st - Skeeter ZX200 / 200 Yamaha Kevin Shivers 8.87 lbs. 2nd - $7,500 cash Pete Drewery 8.16 lbs. 3rd - Bombardier 4x4 ATV - Paul Gomez 7.58 lbs. 4th - 72" HD Big Screen TV Glenn Guinn 7.55 lbs. 5th - $1,000 Yamaha cash Craig May 6.94 lbs. Yelas would have liked to be present but had the good fortune of making the cut at the FLW tournament in Knoxville, Tenn. Thank you to David and Tricia Concienne of Bass N Bucks for conducting the tournament, and to all the sponsors that donated cash and products for some great prizes. Sponsors include: DuPont Goodrich Federal Credit Union - Skeeter Boats - Dawson Marine - Beaumont Tractor - Berkley - J & J Trailer Sales - Minn Kota - The Beaumont Enterprise  |
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