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TEAM TOURNAMENT
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| Date: | | April 23, 2016 |
| Region: | | 2016 South Region |
| Tournament: | | Lake Falcon #2 |
| Tournament Trail: | | 2016 Bass Champs Tournament Trail |
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| Big Bass, Big Stringers, Big Winners on Falcon at Bass Champs |
| By: Patty Lenderman |
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Oh, what a phenomenal day of fishing on Falcon for 142 teams vying for a portion of nearly $42,000 in payback at Skeeter Bass Champs! The father & son team Albert Ramirez Sr & Jr from Laredo, TX championed them all weighing in over 30 pounds of bass taking home $20,000 in winnings.
April 23rd was the third event for the South Region, and the fishing was incredible, seeing 32 sacks at the scales breaching the twenty pound mark. The morning started out overcast and calm, with increasing winds later in the morning. Falcon was pumping out the big ones, and the race for Big Bass was intense as ten brutes in the eight pound range were registered. It took a double digit sow to win as the largest bass in the tournament, tipping the scales at 10.67 pounds brought in by David Meyer and Rusty Reedy.
Winners Albert Ramirez Sr & Jr are not new to the tournament scene, but are enjoying their first season with Bass Champs. According to Albert Sr, “I have been fishing tournaments for many years, from club tournaments to a few circuits. I am from Texas, but have been living in Arizona for several years and have been looking forward to getting back to Texas and being able to fish in these Bass Champs tournaments!” The duo has fished Falcon many times, and very familiar with the lake. “We have been having luck working shallow rock humps, so decided to keep with that pattern for the tournament.” They had ten spots picked out and chose shallow running square billed crank baits to go after them. “It was one of those days where we just couldn’t do anything wrong! We caught lots of fish, probably around 80, but Jr caught most of them.” These rocky humps were all in the middle of the lake, away from the shoreline. “Two of our spots had better fish on them.” Albert Jr anchored their stringer with one just under eight pounds to give them a final weight of 31.97 pounds to win the tournament. Bass Champs presented the team with the guaranteed 1st place check for $20,000 for their win. “Bass Champs tournaments are very well run. Very smooth and professional. We’re glad we finally get to fish with them!”
Nearly breaching the 30 pound mark were the 2nd place winners Mike Fleming of New Braunfels, TX and Brian Fleming Jr of San Antonio. They chose two spots, both main lake rock ledges around 10’ deep for their creel. “We caught a small limit pretty quick at our first area, then moved to our second spot and started catching better fish.” Using Xcite baits and Reflex jigs on Dobyns rods, the bite was on hot and heavy. “We had all the fish we weighed in by 9:45,” Brian continued. “One of our fish ended up dying, and we didn’t want to lose any more so we went ahead and weighed in around 1:00.” The team had a sack of solid fish that tipped the scales to 29.48 pounds. This team has been fishing Bass Champs since the South Region was formed, and has enjoyed several top five finishes and cashed in many times for their efforts. This round they won 2nd place and a check for $2,500!
The top weights were tight, but another father and son team reeled in a 3rd place win with 29.17 pounds. Arlen Hauschild of Seguin, TX and his son Christopher of Canyon Lake decided to concentrate their efforts in Pierce Cove and Big Tigers for their success. “We started out in Pierce Cove, using an Ol’ Monster worm in watermelon candy.” They positioned their boat in shallow water, throwing out to depths of 17’-18’. “The morning started out overcast, and fish were biting good for us. We had to fight the wind a little later in the morning, but caught most of our fish between 9 – 11:00.” Their biggest catch tipped the scales to 8.86 pounds, anchoring their 3rd place win and a check for $1,750. “We’ve been fishing with Bass Champs for about 10 years now, and have won second place twice and now third place twice. We are very blessed!” The team would like to thank Seguin Insurance Agency and their wives for their support. “And the Good Lord Jesus Christ for blessing us!”
Rounding out the top five were 4th place finishers Kevin Clifford and Jared Gonzales of Laredo, TX with 26.49 pounds winning $1,200 and 5th place Mark Pena of Zapata, TX with Ronald Lewis of Gonzales with 24.98 taking home $1,050 plus the Lowrance Gen 3 Bonus.
Of all the big bass caught, David Meyer of Jourdanton, TX and Rusty Reedy of Spring Branch caught the biggest weighing 10.67 lbs, taking home $500 for that catch and anchoring their 10th place finish for another $1,000. They won even more with the Delo bonus, Abu Garcia Revo and Under Armor bonuses.
Travis McGuire and Tyler Holmes added to their winnings with the Skeeter Cash bonus being the highest finishing team in a qualified Skeeter boat.
There is only one event to go for the South Region teams, and the race for Anglers of the Year. The team with the most accumulated points after all four events will win this prestigious title, and their entry fees will be waived for that region in the 2017 season. The top five teams with one to go are:
420 pts Derick Kuyrkendall & Forest Wilson
391 pts Mike Harman & Rick Scheen
378 pts Ricardo Gonzalez & Arturo Saldana
374 pts Mike Fleming & Brian Fleming Jr
369 pts Garret Nies & Charles Whited
The final South Region tournament will be on Amistad May 21st. All Bass Champs events are open to anyone who would like to fish for a chance to win big! The remaining 2016 opportunities are:
April 30 (North) Cedar Creek
May 7 (East) Toledo Bend
May 14 (Central) LBJ
May 21 (South) Amistad
June 4 (North) Tawakoni
Also mark your calendars and plan to fish these upcoming Bass Champs hosted events:
June 10 - Skeeter Owner’s Tournament, Lake Fork
June 26 – TX Shootout, Sam Rayburn
Oct 15-16 – 11th Annual Berkley Big Bass, Lake Fork
For more information, visit www.BassChamps.com or call 817-439-3274
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