With the field of 148 boats cut to the top 29 in the third and final day of competition, Brent Riley and Nathan Burgess hauled in the largest bag of the day and vaulted 7 places up to claim the victory in the Fishers Of Men $100,000,00 Guntersville Lake National Championship.
Brent and Nathan bolstered their 44.05 lbs with today’s 23.83 for a three-day winning total of 67.88 lbs. The new Fishers of Men National Champions and proud owners of the $45,000.00, 2010 Triton 20 XS also earned an additional $500.00 for the day’s 8.12 lbs First Big Fish. The enormous bass fell for a white swim-jig at about 10:30 this morning. However, most of their winning catch came from carolina-rigged, Green Pumpkin Magic, Zoom Brush Hogs® that the South Carolina Low-country anglers had been tossing all week. Nearly all of their fish came from grassy shallow water banks surrounding the islands that are scattered on the west side of the lake from Siebold Creek up to Clays Marina. The two stated that they had caught more fish this past week than in the last ten years.
Michael Smith and Brian Jordan, Tennessee East, took second place and $10,000.00 with an additional 17.80 lbs added to Thursday and Friday’s 49.22, thus finishing the championship with 67.02 lbs, a little more than one-half pound behind the champs. Brian and Michael spent the tournament working the mid-section of Lake Guntersville, pitching YUM® 10” watermelon colored worms in 5 feet of water along gravel banks and boat docks. Unlike many others who reported catching 30 to 40 bass each day, Brian and Mike stated that they netted about 7 or 8 quality keepers each day.
Third place finishers, the husband-wife team of Ken and Deloris Shumate, held their ground and earned more than $7000.00 by spending the week working the large stump flats near Little Mountain Marina and Resort. Their pre and post-spawn bass were staging along the 5’ average depth, grassy and stump-filled flats. The North Carolina Piedmont couple netted most of their fish using watermelon worms and lizards, however, on the last cast of the day, Deloris said a prayer, then hooked and landed the largest bass of her life, a 6.38 lbs hog, while swimming an “old purple” Zoom Mag II® worm back to the boat one final time. The skilled couple boated 19.56 on Day 1, 27.16 with a 7.17 kicker on Day 2, and 19.26 today, for a tournament total of 65.98 lbs.
Phillip Eaks and Dan Glossan had a 7.04 lbs pig in the boat by 7:30 this morning while on their way to a forth place finish, thus earning $5000.00. Dan and Phillip brought in more than 20 lbs each day and ended up with 15 bass crossing the scales at 65.39 lbs. Their success came by flipping Zoom Ole Monster worms and casting Rat-L-Traps along mid-lake stump flats where they had located quality fish.
Rounding out the top five with 15 bass going 63.65 is the Iowa team of Shawn Holly and Robert Thomsen. Rob and Shawn fished the Goose Pond area this week with Gene Larew HooDaddy, green pumpkin creature baits and a prototype jig tipped with Critter Craws. The Iowa team targeted a pre-spawn, big-bass staging area along deeper banks of 4 to 12 ft of water that contained coontail and isolated wood. The two were wearing them out this week, with 24.16 on Day 1, 23.79 on Day 2 and 15.70 today, Shawn stated that today’s weight would have been significantly better, had he not lost a seven-pounder today.
The $250.00 Second Big Fish Award went to North Carolina Piedmont competitors, Steve Singleton and Wayne Needam. Their 7.28 lbs brute was taken with one of the larger Zoom worms. Steve and Wayne finished ninth overall with 63.09 lbs. Throwing lizards and worms the two netted 21.24 on Day 1, 18.11 on Day 2, and 23.74 today.
Throughout three days of fishing, 143 teams brought in 1464 bass that weighed 4987.69 lbs and included 286, 5-fish limits.
We want to thank Abu Garcia, Presenting Sponsor, along with Lisa Socha and Marshall County Convention and Visitors Bureau, event host, and Creek Path Baptist Church.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the fine companies that make Fishers of Men possible; Primary: Triton Boats, Mercury, Strike King Lure Company, Markel American Insurance, Abu Garcia, Power-Pole, Nester Hosiery. Presenting; Marshall’s Marine of Lake City SC, Keelshield, Solar Bat, Kistler Custom Fishing Rods, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Berkley, Lowrance. Official: Buckeye Lures, Jacobs Glass, Outdoor Specialty Products (Rejuvenate), Dual Pro Chargers, MotorGuide, Full Grace Gospel Church, Mizmo Bait Company, Stanley Jigs, Spike-It, Logan Fire Apparatus, T&H Marine, and Keep Alive Oxygen Infusers.
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