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FISHERS OF MEN 2008 REGIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Ken Callahan and Jason Mac Abee Win the Lake Guntersville Central
Regional Championship
By: Frank Evans, Senior Writer
(Sept. 26, 2008 – Guntersville, AL)... The second event in the 2008
Fishers of Men Regional Championship Series came to a close today as the
Alabama Northwest team of Jason Mac Abee and Ken Callahan took care of
business and are now the proud owners of a new Triton “18-HP Explorer”
powered by the venerable 225 hp Mercury Optimax, Championship Plaques, a
$560.00 1 st Big Bass Award, $700.00 in Bonus Bucks, and $7500.00 in
“Triton Gold Bonus Money” (contingent upon meeting requirements of the
program). The happy champions netted 40.89 lbs in two days of fierce
competition to collect their “first-ever” tournament victory!
Temperatures plus humidity across Northern Alabama on Saturday rose
slightly as the wind calmed and a canopy of cloud cover moved across the
area by late morning.
Some anglers experienced difficulty in locating fish as the previous
day’s wind and sunny conditions found bass bunched up under the grass
and stationed against windblown points, bluffs, shallow-protected coves
and shoreline areas. Today, bass ventured out to the open water where
successful teams found them scattered but concentrated under schools of
baitfish. Many reported that the largemouths were also in very thin
water along the inside edges of milfoil, hydrilla and native grass.
Every conceivable lure or tactic produced positive results as fishermen
began to let everyone know how they caught fish.
Champions, Ken and Jason, related that Day One’s impressive 24.05 lbs
were taken with a shallow running crankbait from underwater humps and in
extremely shallow water along the inside edges of the grassline below
Waterfront Grocery, Tackle, and Supply. The overall 8.81 lbs tournament
big fish came from a nearby private dock and had just one barb of a
treble piercing her mouth when it was netted.
Saturday’s efforts seemed to be in vain since the pair had only one
keeper by 1:00 o’clock. Ken said that another huge bass broke off, along
with his prized crankbait. Jason and Ken then saw that each time they
circled, the boat would begin pushing schools of shad into shallower
water. Once they hauled out the “spooks” they immediately began catching
fish. 16.84 lbs crossed the scales today as they sweated it out till the
closure of the weighin sealed their victory by .84 lbs.
Alabama Northeast’s Jamie Smith
and Mike Rains
Moving up from 7th to take second place and $7500.00
were Alabama Northeast’s Jamie Smith and Mike Rains. With 17.50 lbs
added to Friday’s 20.66, the successful fishermen finished with
40.05lbs. Mike and Jamie fished topwaters early today, then deep, and
finally shallow water after the cloud cover moved in.
3rd place finishers from Tennessee West, George Bristow and Dale
Aldridge amassed 39.23 lbs for the event. George attributed their
success to Net Baits® 11-inch redbug worms fished in 15 feet of water
behind parked barges. Dale added that they were in the Big Spring Creek
area. The men also said that when the clouds rolled in, their barge
pattern quickly disintegrated as the fish dispersed from the shade of
the manmade cover of barges. When ask if he wanted to say anything else
or recognize their sponsors, George said, “God has been good”.
Finishing in 4th place with 39.13 lbs, Mike Devere and Jason Hembree
(Kentucky South Central) moved up two slots form Friday’s competition by
fishing topwaters early today and throwing jigs and 10 inch worms along
mid-lake ledges in 25 feet of water near the Goose Pond area.
Rounding out the top five, Chris Ambers and Greg Sallee (Kentucky West)
netted 36.46 lbs for 2 days by flipping boat docks with Kistler Custom
Rods near North or South Sauty Creeks, thus moving them up from Day-1’s
8th slot.
The Day-2 $560.00 1st Big Fish Award went to David and James Hanson
(Tennessee Central) for their 6.93 lbs bucketmouth.
Tamara (Mike) Miller used a prism colored Robo Shakey Head worm down a
bluff wall near the dam in order to earn the 2nd Big Bass Award for her
largemouth weighing 6.57 lbs.
We would like to thank the following for inviting the Central
Championship Event to Guntersville and the ones who made our stay most
enjoyable: Lisa Socha and the Marshall County Convention and Visitors
Bureau, the city of Albertsville for hosting our meeting at their
Recreation Park, Chad Durden of Alabama State Parks, and the thoughtful
employees of Guntersville State Park.
We also would like to thank all the fine companies that make Fishers of
Men possible: Triton Boats, Mercury, Strike King Lure Company, All Star
Rods, Shakespeare, Pflueger, Grace Full Gospel Church, Marshall’s Marine
(Lake City, SC), Solar Bat, Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits, Keel shield,
Kistler, Jacobs Glass, Jones Chevrolet, All-Terrain Tackle, Dual Pro
Charger, XTools, Buckeye Lures, Stanley Jigs, Castrol, Deka Marine
Master Batteries, Spike-It, Motorguide, Hooah Energy Bars & Drinks,
SOSPENDERS, Mizmo Bait Company, River Bottom Lures, Diamond Cut Jeans,
T&H Marine, and Keep Alive
PLEASE
VISIT FISHERS
OF MEN
FOR COMPLETE RESULTS,
STANDINGS AND UPCOMING EVENTS.
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