Holy Truck!
Patillo tops huge field to win Dodge Mega Bass tourney
By PATTY LENDERMAN Lakecaster Managing Editor

Outdoors photo/Patty Lenderman TRAVIS PATILLO, right, weighed in the biggest bass of the event at the 10 a.m. hour. His trophy bass weighed 9.66 lbs., winning the grand prize Dodge truck package.

The highly anticipated first annual Dodge Mega Bass tournament on Sam Rayburn brought in anglers from all over the country, with more than 1,600 participants - each one looking for the one bite that would win them one of seven hourly Dodge trucks given away.

Overall, nearly a quarter of a million dollars in cash and prizes was won and awarded at this spectacular event.

East Texas has been experiencing an inordinate amount of rain this summer, pushing lake levels to exceed full pool. This has kept the bass moving and anglers on the chase after them.

The forecast called for more rain through the day, but the morning started out cloudy, hazy and cool. Radio station KTXJ FM 102.7 was on site all day.

T.J. Bordelon kept the announcements flowing letting the anglers what's on top, what's in the money each hour.

Ten places were guaranteed every hour, and each participant had the option of buying into the bonus positions, 11th and 12th place.

Outdoors photo/Patty Lenderman JUSTIN MARCUM, right, will have his driver's license in two short months. He won the truck to go with it with his 8.84 lb. big bass in the 12:00 hour.

Big Bass tournaments are played totally different than typical tournaments that weigh in at the end of the day. Set up as an hourly event, anglers must play this game more like poker.

They've got to know when to hold them, know when to weigh them, to land in one of the money seats. Some hours it may take at least seven pounds to be in the money where other hours maybe only three.

Each weigh in hour lasts only 30 minutes, getting the anglers back on the water faster.

8:00-8:30 a.m.

Willard Jordan of Longview weighed in the first bass of the day at 5.66 pounds. Emcee Fish Fishburn asked him if he thought it would hold up as top bass of the hour. He said "No!" Fish asked why he thought that, and Willard simply stated, "Because we're on Rayburn!"

Outdoors photo/Patty Lenderman ANTHONY CLEMENS claimed the sixth truck weighing in this 8.88 lb. bass.

A total of 20 anglers weighed in fish the first hour. While Willard fell from the top, he stayed in the money. The number one seat was sat in by several anglers, bringing in bigger weights.

With only seconds to spare, Stephen Johnston of Hemphill brought in an 8.88 lb'r, winning the first Dodge truck. Stephen caught this chunk on a prototype crank bait from Sebile called a Crankster, at about 18'.

First hour line up

First - Dodge Truck 8.88 lbs. Stephen Johnston Hemphill

Second - $1,000 7.12 lbs. Floyd Brackman Joaquin

Third - $750 6.86 lbs. Jason Moore Nacogdoches

Fourth - $650 6.58 lbs. Craig Fuller Nacogdoches

Fifth - $550 6.50 lbs. Tommy Hill Lumberton

Sixth - $450 6.14 lbs. Gary Crumpton Cushing

Seventh - $350 5.90 lbs. Scottie Jones Gilmer

Eighth - $250 5.66 lbs. Willard Jordan Longview

Ninth - $200 5.46 lbs. Dave Mauldin Tombal

10th - $150 5.20 lbs. Brad Morris Tyler

9:00 - 9:30 a.m.

As the morning progressed, more spectators trickled in. Many came to see their friends and family members weigh in, more just to watch this exciting event. Dodge brought a great display of the winning trucks, and other sponsors were on hand with product as well.

Nineteen anglers weighed in the second hour, with another big bass over eight pounds taking top spot.

Again, a big bass over eight pounds took the top spot of the hour.

Rick Scott caught this winner, finding his 8.50 pound fish at a 12' drop, and like Stephen Johnston, also caught it on a crank bait. It took a slight bit more to land in top 10 this hour; Rob Burns anchored the last seat with 5.34 lbs. It was evident that anglers were using a little strategy as to when to weigh in their catch.

Round 2

First - Dodge Truck 8.50 lbs. Rick Scott College Station

Second - $1,000 7.30 lbs. Eric Wilson Marshall

Third - $750 6.78 lbs. Jason Moore Nacogdoches

Fourth - $650 6.76 lbs. Jason Brannan Longview

Fifth - $550 6.34 lbs. Mickey Batson Mabank

Sixth - $450 6.08 lbs. George Clay Deer Park

Seventh - $350 6 lbs. Terry Longron Orange

Eighth - $250 5.80 lbs. Gary Crompton Cushing

Ninth - $200 5.76 lbs. Sharee Anglin Mabank

10th - $150 5.34 lbs. Rob Burns Plano

10:00 - 10:30 a.m.

Carla Moorehead started the weigh in for this hour with 4.94 lbs. As more fish came in, she got to scoot down, a seat at a time, ultimately taking 10th place.

It's not just a game for the big kids, two boys each 14 years old also signed up and weighed in.

Just like the previous hours, with less than a minute to go, anglers with big fish rushed to the scales.

James Touchstone had been sitting in the top spot with 7.38 lbs. With only seconds to spare, Mike Robins took it away from him with 8.34 lbs.

That only lasted a moment, until Travis Patillo weighed his in, taking top spot overall with 9.66 lbs.

Round 3

First - Dodge Truck 9.66 lbs. Travis Pattillo Silsbee

Second - $1,000 8.34 lbs. Mike Robins Lyte

Third - $750 7.38 lbs. James Touchstone Caldwell

Fourth - $650 6.58 lbs. James Williams Nacogdoches

Fifth - $550 6.50 lbs. Cole Stewart Hemphill

Sixth - $450 6.28 lbs. Barry Houser Magnolia

Seventh - $350 5.56 lbs. R.D. Lewis Hemphill

Eighth - $250 5.52 lbs. Roland Anderson Vidor

Ninth - $200 5.38 lbs. Steve Byrd Colgate

10th - $150 4.94 lbs. Carla Moorehead Jasper

11:00 - 11:30 a.m.

When you've got it and you know it, weigh it in! Abram Caton stepped up to the scales with his 8.24 lb. bass as soon as this hour opened.

He started and finished in the first place seat this round. A few anglers got close to catching his weight, but missed the mark while still winning nice hourly checks.

The predicted rain finally started, only lasting a few minutes.

Round 4

First - Dodge Truck 8.24 lbs. Abram Caton Gladewater

Second - $1,000 7.96 lbs. Don Gordon Austin

Third - $750 7.94 lbs. Edward Gawdin Stamant, LA.

Fourth - $650 7.46 lbs. Mark George Liberty

Fifth - $550 6.82 lbs. Mike Peters Gainsville

Sixth - $450 5.74 lbs. Marty Kelley Houston

Seventh - $350 5.54 lbs. Jason Dean Lufkin

Eighth - $250 5.14 lbs. Dicky Newberry Houston

Ninth - $200 5.04 lbs. Chris Chitty Willis Pointe

10th - $150 5 lbs. Stan Lawing Poetry

12:00 - 12:30 p.m.

Rayburn is loaded with four- and five-pound bass and we got to see a lot of them. Rayburn also has a reputation for its big bass, and just like in the previous hours, it took one over eight pounds to win.

Fifteen-year-old Justin Marcum won this hour with an 8.84-pound bass. Excited, shy, shocked - this lucky angler gets his driver's license in two short months.

What's the first thing he's going to do? Call all of his friends, of course!

Round 5

First - Dodge Truck 8.84 lbs. Justin Marcum Hallseville

Second - $1,000 6.94 lbs. Lee Batson Forney

Third - $750 6.52 lbs. Jeremy Bazyn Tomball

Fourth - $650 6.42 lbs. Roy Sanford Sam Rayburn

Fifth - $550 6.26 lbs. Pete Ellis Vidor

Sixth - $450 6.14 lbs. Jim Achilles Austin

Seventh - $350 5.76 lbs. David Cotton Kaufman

Eighth - $250 5.68 lbs. Kevin Martin Lufkin

Ninth - $200 5.36 lbs. Bruce Hernandez Natchitoches, LA

10th - $150 5.34 lbs. Brian Merrifield Athens

1:00 - 1:30 p.m.

Time is running out at this point, and the choices of when to weigh is also running out.

Anglers started bringing in their fish, in an off chance that what they had would grab a check. In the last minute, Dicky Newberry, who had won a check earlier, took this hours lead with 7.60 lbs.

As the countdown with the last seconds for the scales to be open ticked down, Anthony Clemens rushed his 8.88 lb. bass to the scales to win the hour.

"My truck has been broken down for months, and I've been using my parents' truck. I really needed this," said Clemens.

In shock and disbelief, Clemens took a seat to start filling out the necessary paperwork to claim his win.

Round 6

First - Dodge Truck 8.88 lbs. Anthony Clemens Anacoco, LA

Second - $1,000 7.60 lbs. Dicky Newberry Houston

Third - $750 7.40 lbs. Dennis Fikes Kingwood

Fourth - $650 7.16 lbs. Michael Sanford Chireno

Fifth - $550 6.76 lbs. Johnny Commander Crocket

Sixth - $450 6.30 lbs. Wesley Dawson Silsbee

Seventh - $350 6.24 lbs. Craig Istre Lake Arthur, LA

Eighth - $250 5.50 lbs. Carlo Morris Orange

Ninth - $200 5.34 lbs. David Achilles Round Rock

10th - $150 5.32 lbs. Cole Stewart Hemphill

2:00 - 2:30

The make it or break it hour. The final weigh in. Troy Stinson established the initial top weight with a 7.42-pound bass. Lloyd Stuart topped that weight with 7.70 lbs. As everyone brought in what they had, Lloyd stayed on top to win the final hourly truck.

Final hour

First - Dodge Truck 7.70 lbs. Lloyd Stuart Conroe

Second - $1,000 7.42 lbs. Troy Stinson San Antonio

Third - $750 7.06 lbs. Ricky Potts Longview

Fourth - $650 6.28 lbs. Dale Jackson Van

Fifth - $550 5.96 lbs. Wayatt Watson Hemphill

Sixth - $450 5.78 lbs. Clint Mayo Anacoco, LA

Seventh - $350 5.36 lbs. Clint Teutsch Lufkin

Eighth - $250 5.32 lbs. Chris Harvey Vidor

Ninth - $200 5.30 lbs. Mike Wolfe Cameron

10th - $150 5.22 lbs. Randall Kirkes Killeen

Once the scales were closed, it was time to award all the trucks and hourly checks.

Dodge truck winners:

8 a.m. hour - 8.88 lbs. Stephen Johnston

9 a.m. hour - 8.50 lbs. Rick Scott

10 a.m. hour - *9.66 lbs.* *Travis Pattillo*

11 a.m. hour - 8.24 lbs. Abram Caton

Noon hour - 8.84 lbs. Justin Marcum

1 p.m. hour - 8.88 lbs. Anthony Clemens

2 p.m. hour - 7.70 lbs. Lloyd Stuart

Each of the hourly Dodge trucks is valued at $23,000.

The Ram 1500 Hemi 4 x 4, valued at $42,000 was awarded to Travis Patillo, who caught the largest bass at 9.66 lbs.

On Saturday before the tournament, Skeeter Boats offered demo rides in their newest boat series.

The first 400 people who went on a demo ride were automatically signed up to win a Yamaha Big Bear 250 four-wheeler valued at $3,800.

Keith Phillips won this prize in the drawing on Sunday.

"I'd like to thank everyone who came out for this tournament," stated Chad Potts, President of Bass Champs. "We're planning on doing this every year, eventually working it up to a three-day event, awarding a total of 21 trucks. We'd like to thank the Jasper Chamber of Commerce. They played a big part in why this tournament is here. Also, we'd like to acknowledge the facilities here at the Umphrey Family Pavilion. We have tournaments all over the state, and this is the nicest facility in Texas."

Upcoming Bass Champs hosted events include:

Sept. 9 - First Annual Big Bass tournament at Choke Canyon

Oct. 13-14 - Second Annual Berkley Big Bass tournament on Lake Fork

For more information, click to www.basschamps.com or call 817-439-3274