2012 Classic
April 13th and 14th, 2013
Lake Okeechobee
What a great turn out for our 2012 Classic Tournament. 10 teams showed up to brave the Big “O”. Most teams had a chance to pre fish on Friday to try and find the hot spots. And the the surprise of everyone the Phantom Tony showed up to help his partner Rob fish. We also have a new team which joined us, Scott Ellis and Dick Fletcher. Welcome to the club gentlemen! Pre fish day went well without any broken bones or broken boats, etc. and all were excited about the two days of fishing ahead. Day one started out right on time outside the lock. After a short while I recieved a call from Eric who informed me his Dad had a large swimbait hook through his thumb……OUCH! He then took him the emergency clinic to have it removed. He soon was back on the water. Towards the end of the day Eric called me again to let me know Rob and Tony’s boat motor would not start and that after weigh in they would go back and tow them in. All showed up on time, except Rob and Tony and day one weigh in was as follows.
DAY ONE :
1. Darrell and Brandon 17.91 lbs
2. Phil and Frank 16.41 lbs
3. Mike and Matt 15.42 lbs
4. Malcolm and Josh 14.92 lbs
5. Joe and Greg 12.05 lbs
6. Keith and Justin 9.48 lbs
7. Mike and Steve 6.25 lbs
8. Eric and Gary 5.80 lbs
9. Scott and Dick 2.91 lbs
Big Bass Day 1 goes to Mike and Matt with 6.75 lb
Saturday night we held our meeting, raffle and awarded the 2012 Angler of the Year. The meeting went fast and only a couple of items were brought up. One was the classic location for next year and the date of the classic for next year. We voted to fish Okeechobee out of Clewistonand to change the date to the second weekend of March if possible? Anglers of the Year goes to Keith and Justin! Congrats to the bothof them. I would like to take this moment to THANK our sponsors, non-sponsors who made this year a great success. Phil with B&M Sports Supply really helped wi lot of gifts. Also Keith with Reel Deal Outdoors, Dogfish Tackle, Frank, Greg, Joe, Mike Touchton, Justin, Darrell, Steve and myself. And many thanks to all who purchased tickets to raise money for our payout. It is always a lot of fun during this time. Too bad Eric and Gary, Rob and Tony could not be there. Eric and Gary towed Rob and Tony in from the lake and could not get to the meeting on time.
Day 2 got started on time. Steve and I decided to tow Rob and Tony out to one of the cuts first thing since they could not get their boat to start. I know it sounds a little familiar, but you never know what can happen on the Big “O”. We checked in on the two around 1:00 and they were trolling in and said they did not have a limit with only a few small fish. I told them we would tow them in after the weigh in if they were still out, but to call if they caught a bigger fish. They called me at 1:30 to say they caught a decent bass, approx. 5 lbs. We found them and loaded their fish in Steve’s boat with Rob and headed in. You never know?
Day 2:
1. Malcolm and Josh 22.38 lbs
2. Joe and Greg 13.33 lbs
3. Darrell and Brandon 11.57 lbs
4. Mike and Matt 11.43 lbs
5. Mike and Steve 11.18 lbs
6. Phil and Frank 10.13 lbs
7. Eric and Gary 10.00 lbs
8. Keith and Justin 8.84 lbs
9. Rob and Tony 8.14 lbs
10. Scott and Dick 2.51 lbs
Big Bass Day 2 goes to Malcolm and Josh with 7.08 lbs
FINAL:
First Place with 2 day total weight of 37.30 lbs goes to Malcolm and Josh $1011.00
Second Place with a 2 day total weight of 29.48 lbs goes to Darrell and Brandon $670.00
Third Place with a 2 day total weight of 26.85 lbs goes to Mike and Matt $480.00
4th. Phil and Frank 26.54 lbs
5th. Joe and Greg 25.38 lbs
6th. Keith and Justin 18.32 lbs
7th. Mike and Steve 17.43 lbs
8th. Eric and Gary 15.80 lbs
9th. Rob and Tony 8.14 lbs
10th. Scott and Dick 5.42 lbs
Congrats to all the winners!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention this little bit. On the way home Rob had called me and said that their truck did not break down, but Eric mentioned the kill switch on Tony’s boat. Well guess what? One of them had hit the kill switch by mistake and they never tried the whole time they were out stranded. Once they reset it started right up. We use to call Tony the Phantom Tony because this was the first time he has fished with us since they started. I think he has a new nick name now………(Kill Switch Tony). Must of the stuff that happened in Okeechobee stayed down there, but I had to share this will you all.