Birmingham Wrap Up June 5th 2010

Many people tend to think that when it rains and the rivers muddy that you can’t catch bass in a river.  Well, the anglers at the Birmingham stop showed everyone out there that you can always find some semi-clear to clear water in the area and some stain actually can be a good thing when it comes to big bass!  Recent rains turned the bigger rivers into a chocolate milk shake but the wise river bassers knew how to conduct their research via the river gauges and satellite imagery to find the smaller tributaries with some fishable water.  Who would have ever thought that a tournament that included the mighty Coosa, Cahaba, Warrior and Tallapoosa Rivers would be won on a creek!  That is precisely what makes this format exciting because all kinds of riverine environments come into play.

The festivities began at 10am on Friday morning when the tournament staff arrived to set up the “tailgate campsite” area that is always the hub for all tournament activity. This hub is set up around the $15,000 grand prize True North Outdoor Support Vehicle, with all other sponsors and prizes being represented on tables for the anglers and numerous outdoor consumer to check out on their way into the store. The sponsors that had a separate table/area were True North, Jackson Kayak, NuCanoe, Kokatat, Bass Pro Ascend Kayaks and Backwater Paddles.   President of Backwater Paddles, Ed Halm, was also able to join us and represent his brand during the day and enjoy the festivities.  Additional sponsors were represented on one “sponsors table” and banners were hung to represent the ALS Association, in which the tournament aims to benefit in honor of Phillip Mays.

At 7pm the contestants entered the Bass Pro Shops conference room where the pre-tournament rules meeting was held and the measuring devices and special icon were handed out. This tournament’s special icon was a yellow Jackson Kayak kayak sponge that had to be in all of the angler’s fish photos. Contestants also received their early entry prize packages at this meeting which ranged in value from $70-$100 and had products donated by the following brands – Backwater Paddles, Ice Mule, Tru-Tungsten, Kayak Angler Magazine, Cablz, The Gorilla Glue Co., and RiverBassin.com

Jackson Kayak® Avid Angler Division

Just like in a lake tournament where often the top anglers will be fishing the same area and with the same pattern it is no coincidence that all three of our top bassers ended up fishing the same creek and two of them were using the same crawfish jig (or plastic) pattern.  They did their research and were onto a good pattern in a good location with good water clarity.

By the time the results were in Lance Coley took the title with three awesome Alabama spotted bass that totaled 56.25 inches (18.25, 18.5, 19.5)!  Lance was so confident he had done all he could that he even showed back up to check in at 1:30pm, three hours early!  He then went home, took a shower, had some dinner with his wife and then came back for the results show.  What a story!  John also arrived three hours early not taking any chances after getting a hefty 3-fish stringer of 53.25 inches.  Richie placed third just an inch and a half behind John with 51.25.

Lance was using a Strike King jig tipped with a Paca Craw trailer by NetBait to catch his fish.  He said he stuck them good and never really was scared they would come off during the fight.  When asked about why he came in so early he just said he has fished that creek several times and felt he really couldn’t improve much on his length because those were about the biggest bass he’d ever caught there, and given the conditions that others were facing he didn’t want to risk something happening on the drive in.  For his 1st place finish Lance was able to take home a brand new Jackson Kayak, a $100 Bass Pro Shops gift card, lures from Tru-Tungsten and a RiverBassin.com shirt. Lance also took home the NuCanoe big fish honors for his final 19.5 inch spotted bass. For that he was awarded 1 free oil change from Jiffy Lube, some Spro Lures, a Backwater Hand Paddle and a Ice Mule Cooler. The good news for Lance doesn’t end there because he is now the leader in the True North River Basser of the Year (RBOY) race with 180 points, thanks to his previous 4th place finish at the first stop in Atlanta.

The winner of the RBOY race will receive the fully rigged $15,000 outdoor support vehicle (camper) from True North that travels with the trail to all stops. Second place for the RBOY will get an all expenses paid peacock bass fishing trip to the Amazon ($4000-$5000) courtesy of Amazon Expeditions. Third place for the RBOY will receive a brand new 12 foot NuCanoe. Current RBOY standings

John Japuntich also came away a big winner because he was able to take home a new NuCanoe for his second place efforts.  John caught most of his fish on a spinnerbait, but later went back through his same area with a 4-inch Texas rigged Senko to finesse that final kicker fish.  He also received lures from Tru-Tungsten and a tournament trail t-shirt.  John also will get 90 points towards the True North River Basser of the year award putting him in striking distance with two stops left, including one in his home state of GA.

Richie may have placed 3rd but still was able to score a new Kokatat PFD valued at $120.00. He also was awarded lures from Tru-Tungsten, a $50 Bass Pro Shops gift card and a tournament t-shirt. 3rd place puts him at 80 points towards the RBOY award and in good position to make a run at the True North OSV as well.

One last cool story from the event was when angler Chris Shelton came walking out of the Bass Pro Shops on Friday.  He had never caught a bass before, but he was intrigued by the kayaks and True North camper that was set up so he stopped to see what was going on.  Upon talking with some of the tournament staff he decided to give this format a go and enter the event.  Promptly he went back into the store and found a friendly sales associate named Karen.  He explained to Karen that he didn’t know how to catch a bass and was hoping she could help him with some tips and some lures that might work in the river the next day.  Well, although Chris did not win the event he did catch a full limit of bass under tough conditions and finished in 8th place in the Avid Division! That was very impressive for someone who has never caught a bass, let alone in a river.  He gave Karen all the credit because it was the lure that she picked out and showed him how to rig that caught all of his fish.  He even went back in the store to get a photo of her and tell her thanks for spending time with him the previous day.

 

Official Results

Angler	Inches
1. Lance Coley	56.25
2. John Japuntich	53.25
3. Richie Gudzan	51.75
4. Tim Emberton	47.50
5. Josh Tidwell	41.50
6. Steve Smith	39.25
7. Sean Brodie	38
8. Chris Shelton	37
9. Ben Adrien	36.25
10. Will Dalton	34.25

Only top 10 will be shown for each stop in the avid division

Kokatat® Casual Angler Division

The Kokatat Casual Angler Division was the next to be scored via this new “virtual” slide show format. Tim Perkins, from Heflin, AL barely took the win by just an inch and a half over Kentucky’s Mickey Miller, who won the NuCanoe big fish award with his 17.25 inch spotted bass just like he did two weeks prior when he finished 3rd and won big fish in Sevierville. Mickey is getting used to being near the top in this division.  David Camp, originally from AL, but now residing in Athens, GA, took 3rd place with 35.75 inches.

Tim and Mickey both found some relatively clear water even though one traveled far to the east and one went to the southwest.  These scores were the highest average for this division of any tournament stop, so that is either a testament to the anglers or the Bama water, or both!

For winning the Kokatat Casual Angler Division Tim took home an Ascend Kayak from Bass Pro Shops as well as a $100 gift card, lures from Tru-Tungsten and a RiverBassin.com shirt. Mickey won a kayak paddle as well as the lures from Tru-Tungsten and a tournament trail t-shirt. For placing third David received lures from Tru-Tungsten, a Backwater Hand Paddle and a River Bassin shirt.

Official Results

Kokatat Casual Anglers	Inches
1. Tim Perkins	49.25
2. Mickey Miller	47.75
3. David Camp	35.75
4. Donald Weiss	33

Backwater Paddles® Young RiverBassers Division

The Backwater Paddles Young River Bassers Division had a great turnout with three fine young anglers catching some nice fish in what most thought would be tough conditions. Appearing on stage were Evan Ewing (11), Carter Camp (15) and Hunter King (15).

Evan Ewing, from Pinson, AL, caught two very nice fish and was just one fish shy of really giving Carter and Hunter a run for their money.  However, to even be up there with the older anglers is a testament to Evan’s skill and his father Jacky for really spending time teaching Evan the finer points about river bassin.  In third place he walked away with a $50 BPS gift card as well as lures from Tru-Tungsten and a River Bassin Trail T-shirt.

Carter, from Athens, GA, also had a fine showing by catching a limit that placed him in second, where he took home a Kokatat PFD, $100 BPS gift card and a River Bassin Trail shirt.  His father David, who finished 3rd in the Casual Division, said, “First time in his life that he out-fished his old man and I could not be prouder!”

Using some of his local knowledge to find some real nice spotted bass Hunter King, from Cleveland, AL, said this about his big fish, “It finally got hooked on my Zara Spook after the fish had missed it twice!”  Hunter ended up with a whopping 3 fish total of 49.25 inches!  That total compared to every angler in all divisions actually would put him in a tie for 4th, with only the top 3 in the Avid Angler Divison topping his total!  It was a very impressive finish and Hunter walked away with a brand new Ascend Kayak from Bass Pro Shops, a River Bassin shirt and a Backwater Hand Paddle for winning the NuCanoe Big Fish award for his 17.75 inch spotted bass!

official results

Backwater Paddles Young River Bassers	Inches
1. Hunter King	49.25
2. Carter Camp	37
3. Evan Ewing	23

Father Son Combinations Steal the Show in Charlotte!

Whether you’re the parent or still the child, the fans at the Charlotte stop all received a good lesson on why we river trail 1need to get our youth active in fishing.  Before this article gets too deep into the story of two fathers who showed tremendous examples, we’ll need to set the stage of how it all went down on a hot June weekend in Charlotte, NC.

This stop boasted the largest fishing boundary of any on the trail, because anglers could potentially fish in North or South Carolina, and even some of Virginia.  Throughout the weekend thousands of outdoor enthusiasts made their way to the Charlotte, NC (Concord) Bass Pro Shops to get in on the great deals and/or check out the 2010 River Bassin Tournament Trail action. A new entry record was set on this inaugural river bassin trail when 32 eager participants from 7 states hit the water in search of a lunker, or three!  They were competing to take home over $5000 in prizes and become eligible to earn points towards the River Basser of the Year, in which $21,500 in prizes are at stake. Fans can click the following link to view all the photos from the Charlotte event – Slide Show or link to album.
river bass trail 2
Aside from having a professional camera crew there taking in all the action, the stop also was covered by fishbyte.net, which covers all the angler tournament activity in the Carolinas.  Fans can read Fishbyte’s recap of the event by clicking here.  We were also joined in person by tournament trail sponsor NuCanoe, who sent director of business development Blake Young to check out the action in person.  Also representing NuCanoe was NuCanoe dealer Frank Bandy from Tar River Paddle Sportsin Rocky Mount, NC, where they also have a great kayak rental program to get recreational and kayak anglers on the water.

The Charlotte festivities began at 10am on Friday morning when the tournament staff arrived to set up the “tailgate campsite” area that is always the hub for all tournament activity. This hub is set up around the $15,000 grand prize True North Outdoor Support Vehicle, with all other sponsors and prizes being represented on tables for the anglers and numerous outdoor consumers to check out on their way into the store. The sponsors that had a separate table/area were True North, Jackson Kayak, NuCanoe, Kokatat, Bass Pro Ascend Kayaks and Backwater Paddles.   Additional sponsors were represented on one “sponsors table” and banners were hung to represent the ALS Association, in which the tournament aims to benefit in honor of Phillip Mays.
At 7pm the contestants entered the Bass Pro Shops conference3_copy_copy room where the pre-tournament rules meeting was held and the measuring devices and special icon were handed out. This tournament’s special icon was a Kokatat decal that had to be in all of the angler’s fish photos. Contestants also received their early entry prize packages at this meeting, which ranged in value from $70.00 to $100.00 and had products donated by the following brands – Backwater Paddles, Ice Mule, Tru-Tungsten, Kayak Angler Magazine, Cablz, The Gorilla Glue Co., and RiverBassin.com

The following day the tournament hub was again set up around 10:00am and tournament organizers, fans and early arrivals began the tailgating atmosphere, while also helping out the numerous passerbys who had questions about the trail or any of the products on display from the sponsors.  Anglers began to arrive as early as 1:30pm, with most showing up just before the 4:30 deadline.  The hungry river bassers were treated to hot dogs, chips, and drinks courtesy of RiverBassin.com.  As they enjoyed the food and drink, stories of how and where they found fish were told. Tournament director and MC, Drew Gregory, interviewed anglers on camera as they came off the water and into the check in line.

 
Backwater Paddles® Young RiverBassers Division

official results
Backwater Paddles Young River Bassers
    Inches
1. Jacob Doll    6

 
river bass trail 4

The Backwater Paddles Young River Bassers Division is where our first father/son story begins.  Jacob Doll (12) was the lone contestant, as tournament directory Drew Gregory joked with him on stage about how he must have scared all the other competitors off. However, there was still drama in this division because before Jacob could take home his new Jackson Kayak Mini-Tripper, he to catch at least one bass.  At the pre-tournament meeting when he knew he was the only one in his division you could see the pressure mount, despite having no opponents.  However, Jacob, who was taken fishing by his father Matt Doll was determined to get at least one fish on a day that was hot and tough even for an experienced angler.  Thanks to his father, Matt, Jacob is no average 12 year old river basser.  He has been fishing often with his father and aside from the positive aspects of learning to fish and be active in the outdoors, Jacob now had a chance to take home the prize thanks to his father spending time with him to teach him about fishing and the outdoors. By the time the tournament was over Jacob and his proud father had pulled off their goal, by the slimmest of margins.  Jacob’s 6 inch bass may have been small in size, but it put big smiles on the faces of his family and the spectators in the crowd as he was carried off stage in his new kayak!  He also received a River Bassin shirt and a Backwater Hand Paddle for winning the NuCanoe Big Fish award for what turned out to be a big 6 inch bass!
river bass trail 5 river bass trail 6

Kokatat® Casual Angler Division

Official Results

The Kokatat Casual Angler Division was the next to be scored via this new “virtual” slide show format. Eric Boyd, from Kings Mountain, NC took the win by just an inch and a half over Easley, South Carolina’s Mike Simpson (42.75).  Eric also who won the NuCanoe big fish award with his 19.5 inch largemouth bass. Parker Dainton, who came all the way from Texas to see his son Robert compete in the Jackson Kayak Avid Angler Division, ended up placing third in the Kokatat Casual Division by bringing in two fish that went 28.5 inches. river bass trail 7Eric had only been in a kayak on a river once before this trip and he made all the right moves on this day.  It was partly due to him joining with river veteran Caja Ormand, who would later place in the top of the Avid Division.  They utilized what is becoming a common strategy at these tournaments – fish big water for a while and have a backup plan on smaller water nearby.  If the bigger water bite is tough, then the anglers will move to the smaller stream where the fish are usually more willing participants.

river bass trail 8For winning the Kokatat Casual Angler Division Eric took home an Ascend Kayak from Bass Pro Shops, as well as a $100 gift card, lures from Tru-Tungsten and a RiverBassin.com shirt. Mike won a kayak paddle as well as the lures from Tru-Tungsten and a tournament trail t-shirt. For placing third Parker received lures from Tru-Tungsten, a Backwater Hand Paddle and a River Bassin shirt.
Kokatat Casual Anglers    Inches
1. Eric Boyd    49.25
2. Mike Simpson    47.75
3. Parker Dainton    35.75

Jackson Kayak® Avid Angler Division

Official Results
Angler    Inches
1. Robert Dainton    55.75
2. Caja Ormand    52*         (20)
3. Todd Braswell    52*         (18.25)
4. Mack McCorkle    51.75
5. Lance Coley    48.75
6. Drew Haerer    47.75*      (20)
7. Ben Adrien    47.75*      (17)
8. Michael Troxell    47.75*     (16.75)
9. John Japuntich    46.5
10. Joey Sullivan
    45

     
     
river bass trail 9It’s now time to round out our due of feel good father/son stories in the Jackson KayakAvid Angler Division.  It is no coincidence that these great father/son stories took place just a week after fathers day.  Robert Dainton, who’s father Parker made the trip from Texas to fish and watch him compete, was in the top 3 on stage.  For Robert to make his dad’s trip even more special he had to overcome a couple very good anglers, starting  with Eric Boyd’s partner Caja Ormand and skilled river basser from Albany, GA, Todd Braswell.  The slide show presentation (Results Show) was laid out as to where each angler scored one fish in at a time via photograph.  Then the results from that round are shown and what each contestant needs to take over the lead.

After interviewing Ormand in the check in line, tournament director Drew Gregory learned that he had lost a 19-20 inch bass earlier in the morning.  Likewise, Braswell told a story at check in where he lost an approximate 7lb bass right at the boat!  Could either of those fish been the difference in this tournament?   They were both still on stage despite their unfortunate losses.  Robert, however, didn’t lose any big on this day but did fish a spot on the outer edges of the boundary that allowed him 2.5 to 3 hours less time to fish.  Could that gamble have been a mistake?

As the photos began to scroll across the screen it was down to one last fish for Dainton river bass trail 10to take the title and make his dad proud.  Ormand and Braswell were tied at 52 inches and Dainton now needed only one fish that went 14 inches to top the other two competitors.  With his dad and all the audience in suspense the photo came up of a beautiful largemouth bass that would measure in at 17.75 inches and give Dainton the win at 55.75 inches!  The victory speech where Dainton thanked his father for being there for him nearly brought tears to the crowd, and his father Parker looked like he couldn’t decide whether to smile or let out a tear or two.  It truly was a story that couldn’t have been scripted any better.

river bass 11Dainton’s three fish went 17.25, 18 and 20.5 inches, with the biggest fish earning him NuCanoe big fish honors where he was awarded 1 free oil change from Jiffy Lube, some Spro Lures, a Backwater Hand Paddle and a Ice Mule Cooler.   For his 1st place finish Robert was able to take home a brand new Jackson Kayak, a $100 Bass Pro Shops gift card, lures from Tru-Tungsten and a RiverBassin.com shirt.

Robert will receive 110 points towards the River Basser of the Year race, however to be eligible for prizes angler’s must participate in at least three events.  The winner of the RBOY race will receive the fully rigged $15,000 outdoor support vehicle (camper) from True North that travels with the trail to all stops. Second place for the RBOY will get an all expenses paid peacock bass fishing trip to the Amazon ($4000-$5000) courtesy of Amazon Expeditions. Third place for the RBOY will receive a brand new 12 foot NuCanoe. Current RBOY standings
river bass trail 12Caja Ormand also came away a big winner because he was able to take home a new NuCanoe for his second place efforts.  Although he and Braswell both had 52 inches, the tie breaker goes to angler with the biggest fish on their 3 fish virtual stringer.  Ormand’s 19.75 inch largemouth proved to be the difference for him.  Ormand received a brand new 10ft NuCanoe, lures from Tru-Tungsten and a tournament trail t-shirt.  He will also get 90 points towards the True North River Basser of the year award

Braswell may have placed 3rd but still was able to score a new Kokatat PFD river bass trail 13valued at $120.00. He also was awarded lures from Tru-Tungsten, a $50 Bass Pro Shops gift card and a tournament t-shirt.  Rounding out the top 5 was Mack McCorkle in 4th and River Basser of the Year points leader Lance Coley in 5th.

river bass trail 14
To sum up the Charlotte stop it would have to be done with one word – family.  Two father/son combos getting the job done on a hot, difficult day of river bassin.  Even our RBOY leader, Lance Coley, had his number one supporter, his wife Sandra, alongside him as he picked up another top 5 finish and is looking like the favorite for the RBOY award heading into Macon.  Yes, family, fishing and fellowship is what the trail is about so it just made sense that this stop, just one week after Father’s Day, worked out the way it did.

A super big thanks needs to go out to the staff at the Charlotte Bass Pro Shops, river bass trail 15specifically General Manager Eric Winter, Operations Manager Ron Kinney and Promotions Manager Kim Files for being such great hosts and for believing in this trail. Thanks again to all sponsors, partners and hosts. See you in Macon, GA on July 10th!

Macon Wrap Up Article
by: River Bassin admin
Macon Results - July 10, 2010

Big Turnout, High Drama in Macon’s Finale
Macon’s grand finale turned out to be the biggest challenge for anglers on the tournament trail.   The middle Georgia heat made for some tough fishing, but of course the playing field was even for everyone so it was only a matter of who could grind it and survive. In golf the major championship courses always tend to let the rough grow a little higher, to challenge the best in the game, and this indeed was the trail’s version of a major championship.

Macon’s finale was a promising sign about where the trail can go in the future, as 48 contestants from 7 states took to to the water in search of the title. Another record was set in the number of Young River Basser entries (5) and females anglers (3). Part of the reason for an increase in participation was the increase in prizes for the finale. Seven kayaks were given away
(Ascend, NuCanoe, Jackson) at the stop as well as the $15,000 grand prize True North Outdoor Support Vehicle, a $4000 trip to the Amazon River and a new set of tires from Discount Tire Company.

Fans can click the following link to view all the photos from the Macon event – Slide Show or link to album.

The River Bassin trail was once again glad to have sponsors represented in person for this final event to be there to award their prizes. Among the sponsors in attendance were Ed Halm from the Backwater Paddle Company, Lance Rinker representing True North, and the entire crew from the brand new Macon Discount Tire Company store.

The Macon festivities began at 10am on Friday morning when the tournament staff arrived to set up the “tailgate campsite” area that is always the hub for all tournament activity. This hub is set up around the $15,000 grand prize True North Outdoor Support Vehicle, with all other sponsors and prizes being represented on tables for the anglers and numerous outdoor consumers to check out on their way into the store. The sponsors that had a separate table/area were True North, Jackson Kayak, NuCanoe, Kokatat, Bass Pro Ascend Kayaks and Backwater Paddles. Additional sponsors were represented on one “sponsors table” and banners were hung to represent the ALS Association, in which the tournament aims to benefit in honor of Phillip Mays.
At 7pm the contestants entered the Bass Pro Shops conference room where the pre-tournament rules meeting was held and the measuring devices and special icon were handed out. This tournament’s special icon was a Drew Gregory business card that had to be in all of the angler’s fish photos. Contestants also received their early entry prize packages at this meeting, which ranged in value from $20-$100 and had products donated by the following brands – Backwater Paddles, Ice Mule, Tru-Tungsten, Kayak Angler Magazine, Cablz, The Gorilla Glue Co., and RiverBassin.com

The following day the tournament hub was again set up around 10:00am and tournament organizers, fans and early arrivals began the tailgating atmosphere, while also helping out the numerous passerbys who had questions about the trail or any of the products on display from the sponsors. Anglers began to arrive as early as 2pm, with most showing up just before the 4:30 deadline. The hungry river bassers were treated to BBQ sandwiches, chips and drinks courtesy of RiverBassin.com. As they enjoyed the food and drink, stories of how and where they found fish were told.

Backwater Paddles Young River Bassers
Backwater Paddles Young River Bassers

 
    Inches
1. Adam Parker    40.75
2. Robert Marsh    37.5
3. Isaiah Montano    36.75

The Backwater Paddles Young River Bassers Division was once again a close shootout, as Adam Parker (14), Robert Marsh (15) and Isaiah Montano (6) came out as the top 3.
Although 9 years separated the anglers, there were only 4 inches between the 3rd place finisher, Isaiah Montano and the winner, Adam Parker. Considering the tough conditions out there the crowd was very impressed by what these upcoming stars were able to do on moving water. Adam fished with his father Tim, who also placed in the Kokatat Casual Division. Shoal bass were his main catch and his best fish was a beautiful 15.25 inch shoal bass. The fish also won him the NuCanoe Big Fish honors and helped him take the slim victory, edging Robert by just 3 inches. Adam was catching most of his fish on a Rapala J-11, which is always a popular choice for river bass. For his victory Adam walked away with a terrific new Ascend Kayak thanks to Bass Pro Shops, as well as some other prizes. Robert came up just short, but also received some cool prizes including a Kokatat fishing PDF, a Bass Pro Shops gift card and some Tru-Tungsten lures. We have a feeling Robert will be back because he is already a state champion in bass fishing for his age group and he again proved why on this day.

Isaiah was cheered big time by the crowd for placing third just behind his much older competitors. There is no doubt that Isaiah won the cutest photo of the tournament award for his 12.5 inch spotted bass picture shot by his dad Gilbert Montano who took him fishing

Kokatat Casual Anglers

Kokatat Casual Anglers    Inches
1. Jason Stutts    54.75
2. Will Yang    42.75
3. Tim Parker    41.25
4. Cole Wood    40.75
5. David Rodrigue    40.25
6. Donnie Weiss    37.75
7. Michelle Perkins    36.25
8. Jon Smith    34.50
8. Gilbert Montano    34.50
10. Rachel Stutts    31.75
10. Robert Causey    31.75

The KokatatCasual Angler Division was the next to be scored via this new “virtual” slide show format. Jason Stutts, from Georgia, really stole the entire show by coming in with the largest 3 fish virtual stringer of any division! His 54.75 inches of shoal and largemouth bass would have made him victorious in the avid division by 5 inches! The day was all the more special for Jason because he got to spend it on the river with his wife Rachel, who was also competing. Together they had a great day on the water that they will surely never forget. Jason got on the water at first light and had his final 3-fish total by 9:30am. He continued to press on, but never gained another inch after several more hours in the Georgia heat. He decided that he had done all he could do so he and Rachel came back to Bass Pro Shops by 2:00pm confident about his total. Of course they had no idea just how good a score it would turn out to be compared to all divisions!

For winning the Kokatat Casual Angler Division Jason took home an Ascend Kayak from Bass Pro Shops, as well as a $100 gift card, lures from Tru-Tungsten and a RiverBassin.com shirt. Stutts also won the NuCanoe big fish award with his 19.25 inch largemouth bass.

Placing second in the division was Will Yang, with Tim Parker finishing in 3rd. Will won a new River Bassin fishing Rod from RiverBassin.com as well as a RiverBassin.com hat. Tim won a kayak paddle as well as the lures from Tru-Tungsten and a RiverBassin.com hat. 4th and 5th places were also awarded prizes from Jackson Kayak in this division. Cole Wood and Dave Rodrigue were the recipients of those prizes that consisted of a dry bag, key chain, shirt and stickers.

The Kokatat Casual Angler Division was excited to see three women participate in this final leg of the tournament. The women who graced the river with their presence were Rachel Stutts, Michelle Perkins and Jeannie Alderman. All of the ladies caught fish and Michelle Perkins ended up edging out the top female honors with three fish that went 36.25 inches. Congratulations to all the ladies and especially Michelle for putting together a fine performance on the river.
Jackson Kayak® Avid Angler Division

Official Results
Angler    Inches
1. Sean Brodie    49.25
2. Ben Adrien    47
3. Lance Coley    44.5
4. Rocky Ly    43.75
5. Hal Lambert    42.50
6. Brian Conway    41.25
7. Pete Alderman    41
8. Tim Perkins    39.50
9. Josh Tidwell    38 *
10. Tim Emberton    37.5 *

It’s now time to wrap up the final Jackson Kayak Avid Angler Division for 2010. Once again the finish is peppered with all sorts of twists and turns. One particular twist in this tournament was that the top three anglers in the River Basser of the Year race happened to be the top 3 anglers in this final tournament – Sean Brodie, Ben Adrien and RBOY leader Lance Coley. They truly showed why they ended up as the top 3 for the RBOY because they had some very tough conditions to deal with while on the river that Saturday.

Lance Coley ended up finishing 3rd in the finale and took home the NuCanoe big fish award for his 20 inch largemouth, which meant that he added 30 points to his RBOY total giving him 270. As it turned out Lance needed those points because Ben Adrien finished 2nd in the tournament giving him 240 points towards the RBOY, which is the score that Lance had if he had not placed better than 5th. Ben also held the tie breaker with Lance for RBOY, so if Lance had not increased his lead he would have lost the grand prize to Ben.

Only one person got in Ben’s way in regards to finishing 1st in the Macon tournament and his name was Sean Brodie. Brodie took the Macon title with 49.25 inches. Even though Ben did not win the $15,000 grand prize, he was still a big winner for placing 2nd in the RBOY race because that means he has won the all expenses paid trip to the ultimate river bassin experience on the Amazon River, thanks to Amazon Expeditions. Ben also took home a brand new NuCanoe for his 2nd place finish in Macon. His other top finishes were as follows: 1st in Sevierville and 7th in Charlotte.

Sean won the Macon title and received 100 points towards the RBOY race which placed him in 3rd, where he took home the 12foot NuCanoe for his three top finishes – 3rd place in Atlanta, 7th in Birmingham, 1st at Macon. For winning Macon Sean will be one of the first to receive the new Coosa Kayak by Jackson Kayak, which will be in distribution late summer 2010.

The True North River Basser of the Year winner was of course Lance Coley, who fished in four of the five tournaments.  His finishes were as follows: 4th place in Atlanta, 1st place in Birmingham, 5th place in Charlotte and 3rd place in Macon. Now that is consistency, and the reason that Lance Coley is the 2010 True
North River Basser of the Year! For winning the River Basser of the Year award Lance received a $15,000 camper/trailer from True North fittingly called “The Freelance.” So, yes, Lance is now the owner of another lance, The Freelance.  For placing third at Macon Lance also took home a certificate for a new set of tires from Discount Tire Company!

Rounding out the top 5 and also taking home kayaks from either Ascend or Jackson were Rocky Ly (4th) and Hal Lambert (5th).

TRUE NORTH RIVER BASSER OF THE YEAR

To sum up the Macon stop it would have to be done with one word – optimism.  Optimism towards next year’s trail due to the big turn out, the amount of fun had by all and optimism from the sponsors who made this all possible.  Seeing more youth and women involved also increases the optimism about where this format can go in the coming years.

A super big thanks needs to go out to the staff at the Macon Bass Pro Shops, specifically General Manager Bruce Henderson, a big thanks to Operations Manager Katherine White and Jed Miller.
TRUE NORTH RIVER BASSER OF THE YEAR    
Angler    Points
1. Lance Coley (Calera, AL)    270
2. Ben Adrien (Johnson City, TN)    240
3. Sean Brodie (Milledgeville, GA)    220
4. Hal Lambert (Marion, SC)    170
5. Josh Tidwell (Attalla, AL)    160
5. Brian Conway (Thompson, GA)    160
6. John Japuntich (Americus, GA)*    110
6. Robert Dainton (Pittsboro, NC) *    110
7. Tim Emberton (Nicholasville, KY)    100
8. Jon Freeman (Mcdonough, GA) *    90
8. Caja Ormand (Shelby, NC)    90
8. Justin Wallace (Bowling Green, KY) *    90
8. Will Dalton (TN)    90
9. Richie Gudzan (Birmingham, AL) *    80
9. Todd Braswell (Albany, GA) *    80
10. Mack McCorkle (Cary, NC) *    70
10. Glenn Anderson (Hampton, GA)    60
10. . Erik Trent (TN) *    60
10. Blake Condo (Cleveland, TN)    60