The wrap up tournament for the 2020/2021 season has finally come to an end and the club can celebrate another successful year. The year saw many first with three teams ending up with a limit at every tournament, an increase in the number of members and the addition of a new lake to fish. There were many challenges to overcome such as, medical problems, weather, travel, equipment and just plain old bad luck. The officers and the club members had to deal with them all which makes the club better, stronger and more diverse. No other bass club in central Florida can match this club.
The day began with the usual Lake Washington boat ramp and boat docking problems. Some members had more problems than others as Larry Cruce decided to take a swim in the lake while launching his boat. The water level was up slightly to allow boats to move over by the pavilion, but those tricky rocks were still down there to ding props and scuff boat bottoms and cause you to blow water up to get your boat unstuck, right Bill? Even though only twenty teams showed up, the day was a success because of the great fellowship and strong competition. This tournament will determine who goes to the "Classic", AOY winner, the wild card, the big bass of the year, next years lake selection and new officers for the 2021/2022 season. Tommy Gates capped off the day with a great BBQ dinner spread that everyone enjoyed. The president and secretary were busy all day from the check in to the final moments of the day to make everything works as per the club rules.
The day belonged to Dwayne Haga and Dave Metzler as their morning started out great with a giant bass first thing, followed by another five pounder soon after. Their limit of 17.33 pounds claimed first place by a thin margin but more importantly captured the wild card spot in the "Classic" for them. Their 8.43 pound Lake Washington giant easily claimed Big Bass Honors for the day and much more.
Jay Stein and Rob Branaugh came in a strong second place with 17.13 pounds, including a huge 6.05 pound big bass. Narrowly missing the "Classic" by 0.20 pounds.
Keith Braun and Cliff Semonski came in third place with a 15.05 pound limit capped off by a 4.81 pound big bass which came up a little short for the year to make the "Classic".
The big winner for the year was Raymond Taylor and his dad Clyde Taylor, as they walked away with the prized Angler of the Year Championship points trophy. Raymond, fishing with alternate Junior Solis, took fourth place with 14.26 pounds with a 6.11 pound kicker big bass. It was said that Junior decided to jump in the lake to celebrate their win. Way to go Clyde and Raymond, this is their second AOY title to go along with their 289 points this year which included 2 wins, 3 top three's and 2 big bass in their 11 tournaments and they did not record a single dead fish all year. EXCELLENT!!
The team of Fred Reid and Jimmy Haggerty gave chase all year long but came up only 5 points short in the AOY race with 284 points, one win, two top three's and one big bass. They also recorded 12/12 limits again this year which was Jimmy's second and Fred's sixth one. Two other teams, Mike Calloway and William Flood and Bill Groseclose and Zack Malone achieved the same record. This was Bill's fifth one and Zack, Mike and William's first since the record has been kept from 2013/2014.
