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TEAM TOURNAMENT
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| Date: | | April 27, 2013 |
| Region: | | 2013 Central Region |
| Tournament: | | Lake Belton #1 |
| Tournament Trail: | | 2013 Bass Champs Tournament Trail |
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| 12.10 lbs weighed in - $16,400 paid out to 1st place on Lake Belton at Bass Champs |
| By: Patty Lenderman |
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Bass Champs Central Region had its third tournament of five in the series April 27th on Lake Belton. 183 teams were gunning for a portion of this 102% payback event where twenty five places were paid a total of $50,400 in cash and prizes. Brian Hughes and Robby Crabb III took home $16,400 for their three fish limit weighing 12.10 pounds!
Catching numbers of fish was no problem for most teams. Finding the big ones was the biggest challenge.
Winners Brian Hughes and Robby Crabb III started out at main lake points with weightless flukes. “We had to fish really slow,” Brian explained. The point they were fishing gradually dropped off from 1’ to 20’, and with a weightless bait they had to be very patient. “We had to fish slow, but had a limit within 15 minutes.” Continuing to catch a lot of keepers, they had upgraded their limit quite well by 10:30. “After that we caught a good smallmouth that helped us a little more.” They moved a lot, hitting various spots. “The bass were following the bait fish. That was the biggest thing.” One of their spots had a lot of timber, and that’s where Robby caught their kicker, and the biggest bass of the tournament. It was about 1:00, and Robby was throwing a Texas rigged blue fleck Power Worm. That catch weighed in at 6.07 pounds, anchoring their 1st place win. “This has been one of the best days on this lake that we’ve ever had!” Their three fish limit totaled 12.10 lbs. Bass Champs presented them with the $15,000 guaranteed 1st place check, then another $1,000 for Big Bass. Costa Del Mar and Sure Life each added to their winnings by another $200 for a grand total winnings of $16,400. “Bass Champs is a great tournament trail. Very professionally run. We would like to thank our wives and families for letting us go fishing, and both of our dads for taking us fishing when we were kids and teaching us how. We have been friends since we were kids, and it is very special for us to win this together!” They would also like to thank TTZ, KK jigs, Wet Sounds Boat Audio and Krippled Kritters soft plastic baits for their support.
The weights were stacked tight. Ken McKee and Bruce Stokes won 2nd place with their 11.96 lb limit. “It was really foggy and cloudy in the morning, but we headed to a cove we had seen a nine pounder caught in the week before.” Their first fish was a nice six pounder – but it was a hybrid so they had to throw it back. “After a while, we pulled out of that cove and went into another.” Using shaky heads and flukes, they backed out to deeper water and by 9:15 secured their initial limit. “At 10:00 we caught our kicker (5.24 lbs) flippin’ the wood. Later on we went back to our starting spot and caught another four pounder.” They continued to catch fish, an estimated total of nearly 25 keepers, but nothing more to cull with after that. “All of our fish were in 5’-6’, with 12’-15’ nearby.” Bass Champs awarded the team $5,000 for their 2nd place finish. “We thank the Good Lord that we get to fish, and we pray for our soldiers all of the time. We’re very glad to fish with Bass Champs. With the economy the way it is, you have to be choosy!” They almost qualified for more bonuses. “Skeeter makes an awesome boat. That’s what I have but it was too old to qualify for the bonus. My partner Bruce drives a Dodge Ram pickup, but same story there. They are both great products.”
The Dodge Ram bonus went to the 5th place winners Dale Boren and Jody Hollibek. This bonus allows them to fish any Bass Champs tournaments in the next 12 months absolutely free!
Skeeter Boats doubled the winnings for Johnny Matthews and Jeff Arnold, being the highest finishing team in a qualified boat.
Twenty five teams went home with checks in hand. The last team to win a check was Tony Ferdinando and Randall Vaughan with 8.01 lbs.
Can you afford NOT to fish any of the remaining Bass Champs events? The paybacks are just too big to miss out on! Mark your calendars and sign up for your chance to win some big money today!
May 4 – (South) Amistad
May 11 – (North) Tawakoni
May 18 – (Central) Travis
June 1 – (South) Falcon
June 8-9-Skeeter Owners on Fork
June 14 – (East) Sam Rayburn
June 22 – (North) Ray Roberts
June 29 – (Central) Belton
For information on any Bass Champs tournament, click to www.BassChamps.com or call 817-439-3274
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