The results of the final tournament of the year for the club were almost predictable from the previous months. Teams that had been doing good all year continued to dominate the top spots. The weather cooperated for most of the day as the rain held off until the middle of the weigh-in and the wind did not get up as much as was anticipated.
All eleven teams left the dock at 6:35 am even the wild card team of Jeff Merritt/Brian Chapman who had to borrow a boat due to the lower unit of his boat being broken. Their very nice Ranger boat did have some electrical problems with the motor tilt but after several of the club members offered their advice (some not so good) and help, they launched the boat and all went well the rest of the day. No other mechanical issues were reported from the members except that Jimmy's big bass knocked off the aerator pipe in the livewell and three of their limit of bass perished. The low water conditions were not much of a problem for most of the tournament teams except for Cliff and Glen Semonski. They tried to open a new canal on the north river but ended up beached on a mud slew. After jumping overboard and pushing the boat out of the muck and into some deeper water they returned to the right hand turn they had missed that morning.
There were several medical problems that caused some of the members to have a tough day such as: Jack Berry had a loose screw removed and some shims moved around in his neck, Wayne Smith had a pinched nerve and some disc problems cause by a previous injury, Tim Kopf suffered a broken ring finger on his right hand causing some hook set and winding problems, Bill Groseclose's back was not doing good especially on the ride back across the lake, Tim Iler's neck and shoulder is still not 100% healed, Glen Semonski said the hell with his stomach pain and just go fishing anyway, Jimmy Blount said he just got tired and needed a nap to feel better. No matter what happens, the members of SCBF are ready to go fishing anywhere or anytime.
Mr. President Dwayne Haga, who has done a fine job this year, and his partner Dave Metzler out classed all the other teams with a limit weighing 17.52 pounds to win the 2015-2016 SCBF Classic Championship. Dave Metzler put the exclamation point on the win with a 6.20 pound giant that was the big bass of the Classic. He was flippin in the middle river near Lake Winder with a Gambler Why Not when the bass hit. First place prize money of $650.00 plus another $210.00 for the big bass pot makes for a nice day of fishing on Lake Poinsett. Congratulations!
Second place honors went to the Bassmaster of the Year team of Larry Cruce and Tim Iler who traveled thru Lake Winder into the south river to bring back a nice limit weighing 12.82 pounds. As they have done all year they used a top water bait to find their bass just like they did all year to score three wins, two big bass and four top three finishes. They also narrowly missed a repeat of last years 13 for 13 tournament limits with their 12 of 13 limit this year.
Past President Rick Jenkins and his brother Joe came in third with a limit weighing 11.96 pounds which narrowly beat out two other teams by only a few tenths. They reported that their catch came from all over the place including north river, Lake Poinsett, middle river and Lake Winder. They used mostly speed worms and flippin baits to land a nice limit and a payout of $250.00 dollars. This completes a good year for the brother team with one win, four top three finishes and two big bass pots.
Other notable finishes include Alan and Wayne with 11.86 pounds for fourth place and 12 of 13 limits for the year. Bill Groseclose and Fred Reid who came in fifth with an 11.55 pound limit completed a fantastic year which included 13 of 13 limits which is only the second time that has been accomplished in the clubs history. Their year long efforts was commemorated with a plaque and a place in club history. Jimmy and Jack came in sixth with 11.60 pounds but lost .75 for dead fish penalty down to 10.85 pounds and their year included two wins, one big bass and four top three finishes. The other brother team of Cliff and Glen Semonski also finished the year with 12 of 13 limits with one win, one big bass and three top three finishes came in seventh. The wild card team of Jeff Merritt and Brian Chapman who fished their way into the Classic came away with a nice $25.00 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shops.
Jackie Barber and BJ Biles came in a close second in the Bassmaster of the Year points race and BJ recorded a 10.39 pound giant to win the Big BASS of the Year award.
This completes this years competition and I would like to thank everyone for their help and participation in making this a successful year. The club has grown and improved steadily with new teams and dedicated members and officers. As president and tournament director Dwayne Haga has performed his duty with diligence and dedication. He brought in a great sponsor for the small creel award in Bitters Bait and Tackle, making sure the tournaments get off early and the weigh-ins are done quickly and fairly, without delay or controversy. Next year should be even better with the help of Vice-President Dave Metzler to keep up the good work and Justin Neal to assist the secretary. Treasurer Jack Berry has the club finances well in hand and is prepared to make the next year just as good as this year was.
There were a lot of photos taken at the Classic weigh-in by Mike Calloway who volunteered to show up and be the official photographer for the event. We appreciate the help and assistance especially since this is was the first time in twenty-two years that he has not been a Classic participant. His continued help in the operation of the club and advice in the club direction over the years has been greatly appreciated. We hope to see him continue in the club next year even if he does move to Texas.
The first tournament of the year is at Miami-Garcia on September 25th and I need everyone to update their information so that you can receive the club fliers and notifications. I will not be mailing out any notifications or fliers so be sure that I get your e-mail or telephone numbers correctly. Club dues will be collected at the ramp prior to the beginning of the tournament and any questions can be asked of the club officers anytime.
See you at Miami-Garcia.
Lake Conditions:
air temp: 80 to 91 degrees
water temp: 83 to 88 degrees
wind out of the east southeast 10 to 15 mph cloud cover with rain
barometer rising
water color: clear
