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Lake Anna Photos Complete Standings Year to Date Standings Darrin Bache and Joey Marshall win the first event of the year. There were 121 boats for the kick-off of the 2004 season. The weather was perfect and the skies were clear. The temperature reached near 60 degrees. The water is warming, moving the large females up into the shallows from their wintering depths. The water temp has already reached the low 50's. The good conditions had a record-setting day on the lake. We had the largest opening day event and it happened in our fifth year. There were seven His and Her teams competing and four Youth and Adult teams. In their first event, fishing Terry Olinger and Susan Hensley scored a win for the H&H Team of the Event with Larry Cline and Patrick Cline picking up another win in the Y&A Team of the Event. Darrin and Joey will take the early lead in the Pop's Marine Team of the Year with their win earning them 150 points in the chase for the Team of the Year. They also picked up $2,200 for the 5 bass weighing 13 lb 13 oz. The team fished down lake on points and guts in 8' of water. The fish bit early for them with a limit by 11:45. They were using jerk baits in a small area less than 200 yards. Darrin reported the technique as "jerk - jerk - pause". 2nd Place Jack and John Wolfe, 5 fish - 13.04 - $1,200. The father and son team fished up lake on shallow flats in less than 6' of water. The first fish came on top water and the rest were on crankbaits. They would like to thank their wives Carol and Julie. 3rd Place Lenny Mastin and Jimmy Mills, 5 fish - 11.08 - $925. The long time competitors of the trail got off to a good start. They fished from one end of the lake to the other. The areas they were concentrating on were points with 8' of water and spooled with 12 lb test Stren line and Lucky Craft Pointer 100's. They did most of their damage first thing in the morning, catching their limit by 8:15. The presentation of choice was "steady jerkin". 4th Place Terry Olinger and Susan Hensley, 4 fish - 10.05 - $675. They concentrated on the mid-lake area in 6 to 12' of water with jerk baits and spinner baits. The bites were better later in the day for the team. 5th Place Otis Darnell and Clarence Lane, 5 fish - 10.02 - $475. They ran down lake looking for fish in 8' of water. They used jerk baits and carolina rigs. They reported the last fish they caught came 5 minutes before the day ended. We would like to thank our sponsors, Pop's Marine, Woods and Water Magazine, Ballbreaker Graphic Design, Terminator, South Hill Chamber of Commerce, and Eagle Claw.
Larry Kempler and Dan Wilt Rise Above The Competition! The third stop on the Championship Teams tournament trail, or should we say the Championship Teams Extreme Fishing Series, faced extreme conditions. The tournament anglers didn’t face floating ice as was the case at Lake Anna or the heavy rain, sleet and snow at Lake Gaston, but instead faced perfect weather conditions. The air temps started in the low 50’s and warmed to the 70’s. The winds wear calm…sounds perfect…did I mention the lake had risen five feet in as many days and with five flood gates open at the dam, the water was at 317’. This is seventeen feet above normal pool and rising. This proved to be too much for many competitors to handle. Only one team was able to locate a five fish limit. There were only 40 teams to catch fish out of the 90 teams competing. The scales added up the tally to prove the team of Larry Kempler and Dan Wilt found the magic. Their pattern was to find banks that had flooded yards. They were casting their spinner baits in the wide-open areas that had no structure on them. The grassy points proved to be the key. They had nine keepers for the day. They reported slow fishing but the bite was steady all day. They culled their last fish at 3:00 with a weigh-in time of 3:30. This proved to be the one fish they needed to win by over a pound. THEIR FIVE FISH LIMIT WEIGHED 13 LB 14 OZ. Peter Gavis and Tom Towes proved the most drama of the event when they brought the big fish of the tournament to the scales. It weighed 7 lb 15 oz, but not so quick…don’t give them the money for the lunker yet! The fourth fish to go across the measuring board drew a lot of attention by Wayne Lail, the Bump Man. After turning and looking, and turning and looking, he revealed that the fish was in fact a legal 15" bass. The penalty for presenting a short fish to the scales is that you loose the short fish and the largest fish in your creel. After the drama at the measuring station, the four fish weighed 12 lb 2 oz and was good for second place. They were fishing shallow water searching for spawning bass. They were running and gunning close to North Bend using spinner baits. John Markle and Don Grubbs only managed three fish, but one of them was 6 lb 15 oz. The three totaled 11 lb 14 oz and was enough for third place. They were fishing 1oz spinner baits with a big colorado blade. Their presentation was a little different. They were casting into the flooded trees letting it fall down to about 10’ then vertical jigging it in the 10’ depth. John reported that about twenty years ago he faced similar lake conditions and figured out the presentation. Twenty years later it still produced fish for the team. Terry Olinger and Todd Neale managed four fish that weighed 11 lb 7 oz. The first fish came early on a jig. The jig bite stopped and the team switched to a spinner bait in about 16’ of water. They found that throwing at the trees coming out of the water was no longer producing. They found that if they cast into clear alley in the flooded tinder and found submerged bushes not visible from above, they would catch fish suspended in the tops of 8’ to 10’ of water. They let the spinner baits tick the tops of them which produced a strike from the suspending fish. This earned them fourth place. Randy Scott and Tucker Richmond finished 5th with four fish that weighed 10 lb 10 oz. The team used carolina rigs in water up to 5’. There was one brush pile that all four fish came off. The team stayed within a mile of the ramp. Our highest finishing Gaylan’s Trading Co. Youth / Adult competitors were the father and son of Kyle Hoffman and Kyle Hoffman Jr. The team finished 6th with three fish that weighed 8 lb 1 oz. Kyle Jr. caught two the 12 year old told us with a big smile! Jackson Hudson and Marty Hudson was the highest finishing R. C. Lee’s Carpet One His and Her competitors, again. This is their third straight win. They had two fish for 5 lb 8 oz. Place Name Fish Weight Payback 1 L.KEMPLER-D.WILT
5/5 13.14 $1,950 Tie C.SEYMOUR-R.HARRELL 2/2 5.12 $ 120 16 T.HICKS-J.FENSON 2/2 5.08 $ 110 16 J.HUDSON-M.HUDSON 2/2 5.08 $ 110 18 D.SHANZ JR-M.KENNY 2/2 5.04 $ 110 Our Pop’s Marine Team of the Year standing found a new leader. Our points leaders for the first two events were Ted Tharin and Stan Cobb. They had a tough outing causing them to fall to 7th place. The team of Rob Grike and Dave Andrews moved up to the top spot from second. Tucker Richmond and Randy Scott jumped ten places to third. Last year’s champions, Bruce Lee and Bubba Wray, jumped up seven spots to fourth. Kevin Kane and Sonny Kane win a windy, rainy and cold one on Lake Gaston. The Kane brothers out-paced the field and Mother Nature. The weather was a big story on the second stop of the Championship Teams trail in 2003. The air temp was in the low 40’s and continued to fall throughout the day. The rain started just before blast-off and turned to sleet and then snow mixed in just for good measure. Many of the teams returned early, before the 3:00 weigh-in, including the Kane brothers that were back at 11:00 am. They both were wet and shivering, but had a big smile on their face and reported they had about 20 lbs. When the weigh-in began and their catch was placed on the scales, the weight came up 21 lb 12 oz anchored by a 5 lb 13 oz bass. The team made a run up the lake to a rip-rap secondary point that had a 5 foot shelf on top and dropped off into 25 feet of water. The team used jerk bait that produced the 5 lb 13 oz’er and another fish over 5 lb on back-to-back casts. They fished a 25-yard area on the point. By 7:30 they had a limit. They lost a 4 lb’er and culled two fish before returning to the dock to get warm and wait for weigh-in. The team of Jack Fenson and Tom Hicks were only able to land 4 fish, but they shared the Big Fish of the day with a 6 lb 13 oz’er and their 4 fish weighed 17 lb 13 oz. They used their Mercury powered Triton boat up lake to cover a lot of water. They keyed on 3 to 5 feet of water using All Star Rods to fish buzz baits, spinner baits and worms. They lost a 3 lb and a 5 lb fish right at the boat. When asked what he thought about the weather, the wet and cold Jack replied, "It’s beautiful," with a smile! Rob Grike and Dave Andrews brought 5 fish to the scales to weigh 15 lb 5 oz. They used their Beaver’s Marine Champion boat in the mid-lake area. They were using Dan Gerkin Lures, jigs, and spinner baits. They had a limit by 7:30. The bite slowed for a couple of hours then they keyed on shallow rocky points. They were able to cull 4 fish the rest of the day. Dave would like to thank Charles Beaver. The other brothers, Dan and Mike Cole, had a great day as well. They brought their 5 bass limit to the scales and weighed in 13 lb 3 oz. They ran their Mercury powered Ranger up lake to the Stone House Creeks. They were keying on 3 to 6 feet of water. They were using spinner baits on windy points. It took them an hour to get their first bass in the live well. They caught 7 keepers and the last came in just 5 minutes before they returned for weigh-in. They had 4 other short fish. They reported catching fish all day. As bad as the weather conditions were, they said it was a better day than the day before when they were practicing because they felt the wind held them. Ted Tharin and Stan Cobb, the winners of our opening event on Lake Anna with that impressive 9 lb 12 oz bass, managed 3 fish for 11 lb 13 oz earning them fifth place for this tournament. The team had the other half of the Big Fish tie with a 6 lb 13 oz’er. The big girl fell to a Rat-L-Trap. They were fishing in 58 to 60 degrees stained water. The other keepers came on Terminater spinnerbaits. Our winning R. C. Lee’s Carpet One His and Her Team, for the second time in as many tournaments, was Jackson and Marty Hudson. They braved the elements to catch 3 bass that weighed 6 lb 2 oz. The winning Galyan’s Trading Co. Youth and Adult winning team were Larry and Patrick Kline also for the second time. They managed 2 fish for 3 lb 14 oz. Both teams earned an entry into the next event for their efforts. We would like to thank our sponsors - Pop’s Marine, R. C. Lee’s Carpet One, Galyan’s Trading Co., Terminator Baits, Lucky Craft, Eagle Claw, Best Western of South Hill, South Hill Chamber of Commerce , Anna Point Inn and Ball Breaker Graphics. Pl
Name
Fish Weight Big
Fish Points Payback The POP’S MARINE TEAM OF THE YEAR STANDINGS 1 STAN COBB-TED THARIN 296.00 Grike
and Andrews win Grand Championship and $11,000 As with all sports the season concludes with some form of championship to crown the season’s best team. In 2002, fishing with Championship Teams is no different. Over the past 8 month’s, over 120 teams qualified, with the winner walking away the $11,000 grand prize for a two-day effort. Kerr reservoir was the host for Championship Teams. 71 teams competed for the bragging rights. But the angler’s were faced with a draught plaque body of water, the level was holding steady at 293’, which equates to about 7-8 feet below full pool. Aside from the low water the weather provided favorable conditions for fishing, hot and Saturday and windy on Sunday, but this did not deter the efforts of the teams that fished. Many of the teams were looking to find fish holding either in the shallows or deep water, or in the transition from summer to winter haunts, using a variety of tactics such as Carolina rigged baits, Texas rig’s, jigs, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. The scoring for the Championship was based on the cumulative weight of the two days, and any bonus points that a team may have occurred during the year. If a team fished all 8 events prior to this one, they received 8 lbs before they even cast a line; this was added into the total after day one of fishing, and day two was just the exact total for that day, plus the sum of day one. Climaxing their "rookie" season with Championship Teams, Rob Grike and Dave Andrews set the bar high on Saturday with a 5 fish, 16lb+ catch, and 8 bonus lbs., to include a 5lb 4oz. big bass and never looked back. On Sunday, they again weighed in a limit of fish to solidify the victory, 10 fish 36.08lbs. In preparing for the event, Rob and Dave had 2 days of so, so practice, while wrapping up on Friday, Dave returned to a area that had previously done well for him and caught a 5lb fish, setting the hopes for the weekend. Catching 6 keeper fish each day, mainly using a Texas rigged Zoom Brush Hog. The fish as Rob described it "were in transition zones"; do nothing areas between "hard" points and deeper water staging areas. Admitting they were a bit nervous going into the second day, they had a game plan and stuck to it, but Andrews added that for a last resort "we would Carolina Rig some points" if the fish didn’t bite. Well no second-guessing here, they were not forced to go to plan B for the day. Rob and Dave focused on one particular points and banks in the up lake region of the lake. In second, which really isn’t that bad, finishing a distant 7lbs. behind, was the team of Todd Schaaf and Jason Strobel. Winners of the 2001 team of the year, and 2001 Grand Champion. Relying on what knowledge of the lake, and limited practice, Todd and Jason "just went fishing". Well for this team that means putting the trolling motor on high and covering lots of water. For them it was chunking and winding spinnerbaits, and as mentioned earlier covering a lot of water in doing such. They brought 9 fish to the scales for the weekend weighing 29.07lbs. Todd and Jason fished from a Pop’s Marine Triton powered by a Mercury 225. Third place was a tie, and quite an interesting tie at that. Winston and Jeremy Stanley – Adult/Youth team of 2002 and Jackson and Marty Hudson, His/Her team of 2002. They both totaled 28.09lbs. The Stanley team has won the Adult/Youth all three years of Championship Teams, and the Hudson’s have taken the His/Her 2 of 3 years. Jackson and Marty fished, Strike King spinnerbaits, and a Carolina Rigged Culprit worm in green pumpkin. Although they did not fish one particular area, their focus was on the same type of structure throughout the mid lake region, chunk rock and stumps in 3-6’. Jackson and Marty fished Quantum Rods and Reels, and a new brand of Stren Line, Jackson would like to thank the folks at Sanderson Marine for their support of his Champion Boat and Mercury motor. For Winston and Jeremy they fished Carolina rigged baits. During each day they were able to cull out 3 fish each day. They also fished in the mid lake region. For the father and son team, most of their action occurred between the hours of 8:00 am and 1:00pm. The key to their success was keeping the boat in 20’ of water and fishing shallow to deep. Rounding out the top five Kevin and Sonny Kane, with a total of 28.06lbs."Wal-Mart spinnerbaits and 10" worms", smiled Kevin, Kevin and Sonny stayed in just one creek, mainly fishing the spinnerbait pattern. But several of their fish fell to the 10" worm and a lizard fished off a Carolina rig. Staying in just the one creek, they found that they had this one "hot spot" all to themselves. Big fish for day two went to the team of Keith Lupo and Jeff Muller. A 5lb 5oz. largemouth fell to a rattletrap; this also was the big fish of the two-day tournament Championship Teams would like to thank all the guys and gals who fished this year and hope to see you next year on the trail Many thanks to all the sponsors for their continued support. Championship Teams would like to thank their sponsor’s for the support that they receive, Pop’s Marine, Eagle Claw, Mister Twister, Galyan’s Trading Company, ProFishing Network, Lucky Craft, Terminator, NAPA Auto Parts, and Woods and Waters.
John
Seay Jr. and Ralph Taylor Win the Potomac 9/08/2002 Greeting the angler’s for this day was cool and overcast skies, but by mid morning the clouds had cleared, the mercury climbed and the skies had cleared to "Bluebird" conditions. Mastering the conditions for the day, John Seay and Ralph Taylor produced a limit of fish weighing 17.1lbs. Fishing a North/South pattern, which consisted of heading North first to fish the last part of the incoming tide, they focused on a wood pattern, which produced 3 fish, as the day progressed, the journey took them south, where they caught 3 more fish on the falling tide. A 5lb 14oz. fish caught at 1:30 was the "anchor" needed to secure the win, which fell to a Jig-n-pig fished by Ralph. Although they had no real contention for the water that they fished, what stuck out in both anglers mind was the fact that they caught 3 fish while sharing water with another angler as they followed that boat down a stretch of wood cover. Seay and Taylor fished spinnerbaits and jigs for the day. According to John a Stanley Spinnerbait, in charteuse and white "the bigger the better" was the key factor in their success. Working a grass/wood pattern, the team of Chris Poole and Dave Estes produced a limit of 16lbs 4oz. Having a limit by 8:45 by fishing in the mid river area working grass with trick worms and Senko’s Poole and Estes moved north as the day progressed, as the sun began to shine they focused on wood "followed the tide" were Chris’s remarks. Falling to a Terminator Jig in black and blue, Chris boated a 5lb 13oz. fish. On the day they boated 9 keepers. Many thanks go out to Chris for the support that Championship Teams has received from the Terminator Team pro staff member. With a solid limit of 5 fish for 14lbs. 6oz. Steve Essex and James Lawrence finished third. Working a pattern, which took them to the north, they remained in one spot for the whole day. Their efforts put 6 fish in the boat, culling one out. The weather conditions posed no problem, but these angler’s were waiting for the low outgoing tide. Of note for these two, Championship Teams is just that, a team event, and even if one of the team does not catch a fish, the partner is there to net fish for the other. This was the case for Steve and James. In fourth with a 6lb. 3oz., the big fish for the tournament, Larry Elliot and Donnie Greg boated just four keepers for 13lbs 15oz. The big one came around 2:30 and fell to a Bandit crankbait. For the day they had just five bites, but made the best of the four that they boated. Along with some of the other competitors, they headed north for the day, trying to focus on the incoming tide. Breaking into the fifth spot, the "Smokin Joes BBQ" team of Chris Carmel and JR Brent, with a limit for 12lbs. 14oz. Chris and Joe journeyed south for the day. "It was tough, and we lost 2 nice ones", commented JR. The heartbreaks of losing the fish came between 11:30 and 12:30. Chris and JR worked a wood pattern down south fishing the falling tide early in the morning. As mentioned earlier, several titles were awarded at the end of the day, The 2002 team of the year was crowned, Bruce Lee and Bubba Wray are they POP'S MARINE Team of the Year. A slim margin of 16 points over Tom Hicks and Jack Fenson. For the EAGLE CLAW His/Her Team of the Year Jackson and Marty Hudson won the title for the second time in three years. GALYAN'S TRADING CO.Youth/Adult Team of the Year was also awarded to Winston and Jeremy Stanley, of note has won this title for the third time. The final event of the season, the Grand Championship, will be held at Kerr Reservoir October 5 and 6. This event will close the 2002 season. Championship Teams would like to thank their entire sponsor’s for the support that they receive, Pop’s Marine, Eagle Claw, Mister Twister, Galyan’s Trading Company, ProFishing Network, Lucky Craft, Terminator, NAPA Auto Parts, and Woods and Waters Tom
Hicks and Jack Fenson Win on the Rapp
Results Photos Second place for this day went to Van DeBernard and Timmy Jones. A respectable limit of 13lbs. 3oz. Not making a real long run to their holes, they found themselves in the area of Green Bay fishing among lily pads and wood. For Timmy and Van they caught 8 keepers for the day, "Just average fish". Most of their fish came on the incoming tide munching on Texas Rigged worms and Crankbaits. The team of Ron White and John Sullivan edged out two other teams who managed to break the 11lb. Mark. Five fish for 11lbs 11oz. White and Sullivan made a particularly long run venturing above Hicks landing to fish channel bends in the river. They just fished stuff that they had known for years. What really got their attention was the amount of catfish they landed, and that they had no company all day as they fished. Catching just 3 fish for 11lbs. 5 oz., John Ausberry and Richard Robertson took fourth. On a day when John "admitted that it was tough day", they fished just on spot on channel bends in the river. Fish tube type worm in the Green Bay area also they boated one fish that pushed the scales to 5lbs. 3oz., with that they had another fish over four and 1 average keeper fish. The focuses of this team were pads on deeper water with wood among the pads. Warren Cooksey and Mike Willet added another top five finish for the year, their limit weighed 11lbs. 4oz. As with several of the top five, they ventured to the wood and pads of Green Bay. Catching one fish on a buzzbait they were unable to pinpoint a pattern on the fish, even though the five fish they caught came through all parts of the tide. Bruce Lee and Bubba Wray are the current leaders for the team of the year title 940 points, their margin is a slim, a mere 14 points ahead of Tom Hicks and Jack Fenson. Rounding out the top five are Warren Cooksey and Mike Willet, Rob Grike and Dave Andrews, and 2001 Champions Todd Schaaf and Jason Strobel a distant 46 points from the top. Next stop for the Teams will be the Potomac River, one if the more popular stops during the year. This event will be Sept 8th at Leesylvania State Park. Championship Teams would like to thank their entire sponsor’s for the support that they receive, Pop’s Marine, Eagle Claw, Mister Twister, Galyan’s Trading Company, ProFishing Network, Lucky Craft, Terminator, NAPA Auto Parts, and Woods and Waters Todd Shaaf and Jason
Strobel Win on the Chick The fifth stop on the 2002 Championship Teams trail had us at the Chickahominy River. There were 85 teams competing for the top spot. The 6:00 am blast off was delayed by one hour due to heavy fog that rolled in just prior to getting started. After the fog lifted, it was a typical July day in central Virginia with lots of sunshine. The air temperature warmed to near 90 degrees and the water temperature was in the low 80’s. Many anglers were counting on getting some quick top water fish, but the delay had them worried if they would get to them in time. The bite has been tough on the Chick and James Rivers for the past couple of years and today would be know exception. The prediction before the tournament was that 13 lb would win. When the teams started returning, there were many limits coming to the scales. Todd Schaaf and Jason Strobel came to the scales with the heaviest creel of
the tournament. They won three times in 2001 and this being the first time in
2002. They brought to the scales five bass that weighed 14 lb 8 oz that earned
them $1,900. Their creel was anchored by a 5 lb 1 oz largemouth that tied the
Big Fish of the tournament. They received another $415 for the lunker. Todd said
they did their typical "run and gun," catch a limit then go looking
for big fish. Their "typical" did not include any top water fish. They
hadn’t found any top water biters, so the fog did not bother them. They made
the long run up the James River and had their limit in the boat in only an hour.
All their fish came on soft plastic. They may have been fishing a little
different then the other competitors. They were looking for a different
presentation with their baits. They rigged a centipede weightless and were
targeting shallow wood. They were casting to the bank and letting the current
wash the bait across the structure. They were fishing so shallow that with two
of the fish they had to start the outboard to go in and get them. The big fish
came off a duck blind at the end of the day as the tide turned around. The team
fished until the last minute and had to run their TR20 TRITON powered by MERCURY
back to the check-in. They would like to thank Richard Addy and all the folks at
POP’S MARINE for keeping them on the water. They would like to thank DAVE’S
TOURNAMENT TACKLE. Rodney Mutter and Greg Cooper had a good weekend on the Chick. They won a tournament on Saturday with 13-½ lb. Sunday they came in with 12 lb 10 oz for 2nd place earning $1,000. They stayed in the Chick fishing with buzz baits catching a couple of their better fish. Saturday they caught their better fish early on top water and returned to the same spot Sunday and the fish were still there. They felt that the fog delay might have cost them a fish or two. They had a milk run the rest of the day. They used plastic worms on wood in six to eight feet of water. They also are running a POP’S MARINE prepared boat. Darrin Bache and Brian Green took home $750 for 3rd place. Their five fish weighed 12 lb 5 oz. The team ran up the James and had their limit by 10:30 am, but that was all their fish for the day. They were pitching worms on shallow blow downs. Rich Newton and Bill Kines had a limit of 11 lb 11oz for $525. They caught their limit early close to the launch site. Then made a run up the Chick. They were limited to one stretch of pads about 150 yards long. Their batteries were not charged the night before, so they were just drifting. They pitched worms in about three feet of water as they floated by. They culled all the fish that they had caught earlier. 1st T. Schaaf – J.
Strobel
5 14-8 $1,900 * Big Fish
tie 5-1 $415 We would like to thank our sponsors Pop’s Marine, Gaylan’s Trading Co., Terminator Baits, Eagle Claw, Pro Fishing Network, Lucky Craft and South Hill Chamber of Commerce.
Mac
McManus and Pete Gavis Win on Kerr photos
standings Mac McManus and Pete Gavis scratched out a limit of fish that weighed 11lbs. 10oz. Fishing in Nutbush, they positioned their boat in 15-18 ft. of water and cast to about 6, to an area, which was littered rocks and stumps situated on a small break line. Working a Carolina Rig laced with a Hawg Caller lizard, June Bug, they were able to put three fish in the well, they other two fell to a DD22 "Digging Dirt" were Mac’s words on how the crankbait had to be fished, for the day they caught just 6 keepers. Mac would like to extend his thanks to Gene Hord who provided some of his insight on how to catch fish on Bugg’s Island. First place paid out $1975. Taking their 2nd second place finish of the year and $1000, Rob Grike and Dave Andrews were only able to boat 4 fish for the day, but the big fish of the tournament, 5lbs. 7oz, worth $900, anchored their stringer of 11lbs. 7oz. Opposite to first place, Grike and Andrews fished in about 5ft of water, "they were not very deep" added Rob, fooled with a Jig and Pig combo and Texas Rigged baits, all in the mid lake region along jagged steep rock structure. Running in third, and fishing "Just one of our usual spots", J.D. Maney and Dave Pomeroy returned with a limit of 5 fish for 10lbs. 12oz. A 4lb 8oz. bass caught around 2 p.m. secured this teams limit. "Slow all day long" is how J.D. described the day. Catching two fish early on Pop R’s, J.D. and Davel finished the day fishing slow sloping points with submerged rocks in about 6 feet of water, a C-rigged baby brush hog fooled other 3 fish for a limit. In fourth, Dan and Danny Shantz Jr., with a limit weighing in at 10lbs 9 0z. The father and son team found themselves fishing main lake points in the Nutbush side of the reservoir. Primary focus was the 8-12 foot range of the points. Their first fish of the day came at 6:30 and a limit by 10:45, this team using Tubes and French Fries tied to a Carolina rig, were able to cull out four fish during the day towards there total weight. Rounding out the top five, Larry Inman and Tony Daniels with 10lbs. 3 oz. "Don’t know what’s wrong, it’s real bad" were Larry’s thoughts for the tournament and summer conditions for Bugg’s. Fishing a "bunch of spots" with a Texas rigged bait; Inman and Daniels had 3 fish in the boat by 8:00 and did not get a limit till almost 3:00 pm. Championship Teams would like to thank their sponsor’s for the support that they receive, Pop’s Marine, Eagle Claw, Mister Twister, Galyan’s Trading Company, ProFishing Network, Lucky Craft, Terminator, NAPA Auto Parts, and Woods and Waters. Inman & Kirkpatrick Run to the James to Secure a Win Photos Standings The 4th leg of the Championship Teams found 96 teams competing for a first place prize of $2000, and 23 coveted payback spots. Launching out of Powatan Resorts, which is physically located on the mouth Chicahominy River, the anglers fishing this tournament upon launching were faced with the choice of turning left or right as they cleared the dock. A left turn took the angler’s to the James River, right turn fish the Chic. On a day when the air temperature was in the high 90’s, wind blowing and muddy water, the conditions to say the least were on the unfavorable side, and many of the anglers opted for the James which provided the cleaner more favorable water conditions. Brian Kirkpatrick and Mark Inman, running in a Pop’s Marine Triton powered by Mercury, made a left into the James, and rode 40-50 miles up the James looking for cleaner water to fish. "Water just looked better" according to Brian. A limit of 5 fish for 15lbs. 2oz. for this team brought them the prize of $2000. "They were all sister fish" stated Mark, lamenting on the identical size of their five fish. A pattern of fishing topwater baits early and the switching to crankbaits nailed down this limit. Primary focus for these two anglers, wood and gravel banks. For the day, both anglers added that they caught 13-15 keepers, and had a limit by 8:30 am. Breaking the big fish tradition, where in the past the team that catch’s the big fish of the tournament goes onto win, Brian Tucci and Sean Lookabill claimed big fish and second place for the day. For the big fish, $940 and a second place check of $1025. A 6lb 2oz. lunker was the kicker for a limit weighing 13lbs 9oz. Brian boated the big fish, which succumbed to jig and pig combination. For the day, they boated 7 fish, tricking fish with crankbaits, spinnerbaits and a jig. They to made the run to the James working wood banks, "No prefishing, what’s been good in the past" were Brian’s remarks for the day. Third place found the team of Mike and Hector Martinez. taking home $775. Their five fish total weighed 12lbs 5oz. As the others, the James was the water of choice. "Tide was wrong and dirty water" made up Mike’s mind to fish the James. Flipping worms to wooden structure in about 2’ of water was the method of the day for the Martinez’s. Marking their second top five finish of the year, Todd Schaaf and Jason Strobel took forth, $575.00. Anchoring their bag of fish was a 5lb 5oz. fish, for the day they had a limit weighing 11lbs. 15oz. As with the others, they to went to the James. An early morning bite with a buzzbait followed by flipping and pitching wood. Shaking his head, Jason commented, "it was a poor tide and we needed one more hour" Rounding out the top five Robert Williams and Arthur Carrier. A mere ounce from fourth, five fish 11lbs. 14oz, $475 in prize money. The James again was the water of choice, providing them with a limit of fish. Arthur and Robert for the day flipped worms to wooden structure. As for the team of the year title, Tom Hicks and Jack Fenson lead the field with 548 points, leading Warren Cooksey and Mike Willet by 21 points. 222 fish crossed the scales in this tournament, with only 5 not being returned to the river. For the year, Championship Team anglers have released 98.51% of the fish caught. Top 10 Y-T-D Hicks/Fenson 548 pts Jakson
and Marty Hudson, Husband and wife win on the Potomac "Team Hudson Acquires a Dual First" by Michael Woltner Many a angler loves to fish the Potomac River, but when the ole wind blows, the complexion of the river changes vastly, muddy water, twenty minute boat rides turn into 35 minute roller coaster rides, crushing waves, windshields, and trolling motors become souvenirs of the river. On such a day, stop 3 of the 2002 Championship Teams Tournament Trail, all anglers were greeted with gusting winds from the south, thus turning the Potomac into a rolling ocean and not its usual tranquil self. 110 teams competed on Mother’s day seeking the top prize of $$ Jackson and Marty Hudson outlasted the field. The Hudson’s are the defending his/Hers champions from 2001. On a day, where the wind either helped or hindered angler’s Jackson and Marty found a way to calm the storm and march to first place, using a designed pattern, developed in a practice session by Jackson. Not only is first a great bragging right, but the can add to their resume’ that they are the first his/Her team to win a Championship Teams event. Weighing in 5 fish for 16lbs 14oz.and to top it off, they also captured the Big Fish award with a 6-14oz bass. Fishing one of the canals in the back of Aquia Creek, they managed to catch two fish, one solid keeper and the 6-14, which fell to a Strike King Pro Model Tube bait Texas Rigged. The lunker was actually caught as they were leaving spot #1. The other fish fell to a white/chartreuse Strike King spinner bait. Upon leaving the back of the creek to move out to the mouth, the Hudson’s were able to finish out a limit, catching 3 fish in two hours. Texas rigged tubes and a 6"culprit worm in June bug, for the day the Hudson’s only caught just five fish "we just had to drift with the wind" and "feeling the fish" were two of Jackson comments on how the day went and dealing with the wind. "Rough Ride", added this team. Jerry Francis and Ed Proffitt claimed the 2nd spot. In doing so they also collected their first check in a Championship Teams event. Venturing south in the strong winds, they fished one spot all day, Aquia Creek. Catching their first fish at 7:45, " a good solid fish" according to Jerry. By 9:45 this team had a limit of fish, and culled out three during the day. Texas rigged Lizards and Brush Hogs were the baits of choice. In respect to the conditions, this team left 30 minutes early just to ensure that they would arrive on time. Providing support for Jerry and Ed are Sanderson Marine, Cobra Boats and Mercury Motors, and they offer there thanks to them. In third, Rob Gunter and Robert Fretwell, five fish 15lbs 13oz. With the wind blowing as hard as it did during the day, Gunter quipped, "It blew the baitfish in". Focusing on a small 2-foot wide ditch in the Mattowan creek area. Using Glamour Shad spinnerbaits and crankbaits to catch their fish. On a day where the wind posed problems, this team biggest problem of the day was their trolling motor, they fished a shallow water pattern with a trolling motor that only functioned at high speed making maneuvering a tad bit difficult. The team of Warren Cooksey and Bill Willet took the fourth spot, five fish 14lbs 15oz. "The wind eliminated a lot of what we wanted fish", "we just lucked into them" spoke Cooksey. To avoid the wind, this team ventured into Mattowan also to seek shelter. Finding shallow wood cover and shelter made finding spots to fish a rare piece of real estate. This team though managed to put the first fish in the boats within 10 minutes and by 11:00 they were culling fish to achieve their total weight. Using a 4" blue fleck worm Texas rigged enticed their fish to bite. Cooksey and Willet with a 4th place finish moved into first place in the Year to Date Standings, holding a 9-point advantage. Finishing off the field the team of James Charlesworth and Randy Anders. Venturing north, and enduring a jostling boat ride, this team focused on water depths ranging from 2-6 feet. Relying on jigs, centipedes and jerkbaits enabled them to catch five fish for 14lbs 12oz. Despite the rough conditions "fun day, good day on the water" summed up how Anders felt of their fifth place finish. During weigh-ins, Director Ricky Gum enjoys interviewing the anglers who participate to get a perspective of how the fishing went during the day. Most anglers are tight lipped, but put the microphone in front of a youth angler, and Ricky is challenged to get an honest answer. Tyler Pyles presented he and his father’s catch to the scale, 4 fish 10lbs 14oz. When asked how many he caught, Tyler remarked three, when asked what they were caught on Tyler caught Rick by remarking "On a fishing Pole". Ricky has yet to get an honest answer from anyone. We would also like to thank all our sponsor’s, Galvan’s Trading Co, Pop’s Marine, Profishing Network, Eagle Claw, Mister Twister, Lucky Craft, Terminator Spinnerbaits, and NAPA auto parts for their continued contributions Top 10 J.Judson/M.Hudson 16.14 Y-T-D top 10 W.Cooksey/M.Willett 424 pts Lynch and Seymour by 1oz. at Buggs Island standings photos By Michael Woltner Springtime fishing brings out the best of the best. 113 teams challenged
Buggs Island on the second stop of the season for Championship Teams. Although
the lake level may not have been what the anglers wanted, the fishing conditions
did not let them down. When it all comes down to it, the team that has the
heaviest weight at the end of the day goes home with the top prize, and this
weekend it was $2175. A mere 1oz. was the difference "We didn’t lose any fish," remarked Justin and "we worked our baits deep to shallow". In fishing out on the main lake areas, they found that they never really had competition for water to fish. Knowing that they were doing well, this team was back at the dock by 3:00, and Justin added up that "It never entered our minds", that they may have had a chance to win. Lee and Wray were caught on the short side of the scale for this event, but this team did not go down without a fight. Bruce Lee boated the Big Fish of the tournament, a 7lb 2oz. Lunker, which netted the team $1110 for just one fish. They also brought five fish to the scales. Fishing three isolated areas in Nutbush, they caught a limit of fish on a Texas rigged finesse worm, green pumpkin on isolated stumps in the backs of coves. For the day, they caught 8 keepers, culling out three. Bubba would like to thank Sanderson Marine/Mercury Motors and Grandt Rods for their continued support. In the Show position Jack Fenson and Tom Hicks. Much like the winner’s they used a spinnerbait to weed through about 3 limits of fish. This team ran all the way up to Clarksville, focusing on isolated wood and points to catch their fish, the key component to their pattern was that they wind had to be blowing across the points that they were fishing, "We had the first limit by 8:00" and went from there stated Tom. 17lbs 3oz was their total Donnie Creech and Dick Tracer tooled a top water pattern to their advantage. "It was a very exciting bite" and "Real Successful" gleamed Creech, educated from a pattern used the previous week, this team ventured into Nutbush also, using the top water lures, Carolina and Texas rigged lizard, their best five weighed in at 16lbs 2oz. This team target fish that were in the pre-spawn transition, boating two fish over 5lbs for the day, and their 3 best came on Pop-R’s. For the day this team finished fourth with 16lbs 1oz. In fifth place there was a tie between the teams Strobel & Schaaf , the defending 2001 team of the year and Grand Champions and Dibble & Dibble, a his and hers team on the trail. Each team had a limit for 15lbs 10oz. Jason Strobel and Todd Schaaf use a pattern that they have become rather famous for, "Run and Gun," mentioned Jason. They caught five fish quick on buzzbaits and then proceeded to go sight fishing for bedding fish. A floating worm in Green pumpkin helped them cull to the 15lb weight they posted. His and her team of Dibble and Dibble were not available for an interview. Championship Teams would like to send thanks to the South Hill Chamber of Commerce for their continued support. We would also like to thank all our sponsor’s, Galvan’s Trading Co, Pop’s Marine, Profishing Network, Eagle Claw, Mister Twister, Lucky Craft, Terminator Spinnerbaits, and NAPA auto parts for their continued contributions
Muller
& Lupo endure rain and cold to take season opener by 2 oz. Jeff Muller and Keith Lupo weighed in 5 fish, 15 lbs 8oz, edging out Rob Grike and Dave Andrews by 2oz., who posted 5 fish for 15 lbs 6oz. Finishing out the top 5, were the teams of Mike Bearden and Tom Dameron, 3rd , 4 fish, 15lbs, , 4th Mark Branham and Clayton Gatewood 4 fish 14 lbs 12oz., ended by Bobby Whisenhunt and Debbie Whisenhunt, 5th with 5 fish 14 lbs 11 oz.. Muller and Lupo found little competition for fishing spots on Sunday. In fact, both fisherman agreeded that the rain may have helped. Although they had no set pattern to use, they ventured from Anna Point Marina up both arms of the lake, the North Anna and the Pamunkey seeking discolored water and shallow rocks. This team only caught five fish all day, a 3 lbs fish escaped the net around 1:00 pm, but they secured the limit at 3:10, literally minutes before weigh in. Shallow water Crankbaits were the key for these two anglers, a limit of fish 15lbs 8oz. In the bridesmaid position, Rob Grike and Dave Andrews, 15 lbs 6oz., catching just five fish themselves, they had to make some major adjustments. Both anglers had fished previous day, and Sunday’s cold rain changed things, "we had to scrounge around" added Grike. On much the same pattern as the winners, fishing the Pamunkey and North Anna "Small area’s, rocks, and deepwater access " concluded Andrews. Of the five fish this team weighed, 3 fish were caught on Jigs and 2 on Spinnerbaits. Mike Bearden and Tom Dameron had the third slot, bringing just 4 fish to the scale, they amassed 15lbs even. Neither angler was available for comment. Testing the waters of Lake Anna with blue chrome Jerkbaits, Mark Branham and Clayton Gatewood sacked 14lbs 12oz. on four fish. "Just luck, there was no real key to today" was the conclusion Mark Branham brought forth. The biggest bass of the tournament was caught by the team of Don Satterfield and Bobby Blakenship. Eight pounds!!!!. This Lake Anna trophy fell to a white Glamour Shad Spinnerbait. All the anglers fishing today will be competing for the 2002 team of the year, with a payout of $2000. Other purses at stake are the His/Hers team and Adult/Youth categories. The next stop will be Kerr Resevoir April 14, 2002. Please visit us at Championship Teams would like to thank all their sponsor’s for the support that they receive, Pop’s Marine, Eagle Claw, Mister Twister, Galyan’s Trading Company, ProFishing Network, Lucky Craft, Terminator, NAPA Auto Parts, and Woods and Waters. A special hats off also to Dave Flauntenroy at Anna Point for his patience and help.
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