| Bass-N-Bucks Griffith & Keele weigh in almost 29 pounds to win Bass N Bucks on Toledo Bend |  |
| by Patty Lenderman |
| Page(s): 1 |
It was just plain hot on Toledo Bend as anglers came to Cypress Bend Park for the second of three summer Bass N Bucks tournaments. The heat index registered over 100 degrees, and anglers were thankful for the occasional breeze for a little relief. The fish were looking for cooler water too, and most teams found their fish in deeper water. Micah Griffith & Keith Keele got right down to business and wrapped up their day in a few short hours. "We only went to one spot and flipped 1 oz. jigs trailered with smokey grubs." The area was a combination of flats, creeks and creek channel bends about 10’ deep. By 7:30 they had a good limit, estimated around 19 pounds. "There were just a lot of quality bass there." They kept catching and culling until 10:15 when they landed their last chunk. "Our biggest cull was a 4 1/2 pounder. We saw that our fish were suffering, so we quit fishing and went on in to weigh them and get them back in the lake." Dave Concienne, Tournament Director, was only too happy to open the scales early for them. Their official weight was set at 28.99 pounds! It was an agonizing four hours as they waited for the rest of the pack to come in, but their weight held for the win. "We’d like to thank our wives for encouraging us to fish these tournaments. We really appreciate them." Bass N Bucks presented them with a $5,000 1st place check. Harold Allen and Glen Freeman also had a hefty sack of bass weighing in at 26.72 lbs for a 2nd place finish. They targeted ridges ranging from 12’-18’ deep. "We didn’t have a fish in the boat until 9:00," Harold recalled. Moving from one spot to the next trying to hunt down the bass, on their fifth spot they wrangled four keepers. "After that we moved again, then (the bite) got nice! We didn’t lose any today, and that was good." Using 11" V & M Texas rigged Hog Wild worms, their kicker weighed in at 8.20 lbs, just missing being big bass of the day. The team won $2,500 and Glen received an additional $2,500 Ranger Cup Bonus for being the top finisher fishing from a qualified Ranger boat! Harold’s sponsors include Skeeter, Yamaha, MinnKota, Humminbird, Ardent Reels, Carrot Stix, Vicious 15# Flourocarbon line, the PAA, Solar Bat and Optima Batteries. Freeman would like to thank Nichols Marine, Ranger Boats, Mercury, Shimano, Lowrance and Yum baits. Third place was won by Bart Blakelock and Johnny Watkins with 22.44 lbs. They only brought four fish to the scales, but the weight was to be added to a fish brought in earlier. Their day started off in a frenzy, boating a limit by 7:00 that they estimated to total around 14 pounds. Using Stanley Bug-Eye jigs in 20’ of water, their fish were holding around wood, other structure and drops. At 7:45 Johnny caught their big bass. "Bart laid his rod down to get the net. As he was trying to net my fish, his pole smacked the console with a fish on the end of his line!" The team got both fish in and started culling. "We called Dave to see if we could bring that one in and weigh it so it could be released and not die," Johnny stated. "He opened the scales for us at 10:30. We’d like to thank Dave for doing that and taking such good care of the fish." It officially weighed 8.69 lbs and was the Big Bass of the tournament. They headed back out to catch more. Their last cull was at 1:00, exchanging a 2 ? pounder for a 4 pound bass. The team won $1,500 for their 3rd place finish plus an additional $1,000 for catching the biggest bass of the tournament. "We’d like to thank the Good Lord for our day today. He really blessed us, and without Him we wouldn’t be here at all!" They would also like to thank their sponsors: Stanley, Rat-L-Trap, Bolton Ford, Strike King, MinnKota, Nitro, Mercury, and Bass Pro Shops. Top Teams:
Ranger Cup Bonus Winners:
"I’d like to thank everyone for taking such great care of the fish," commented Dave Concienne. "Summertime heat makes it hard to take care of them and especially with most of the fish coming out of deep water. Everyone put out a great effort and it shows." There is still one more tournament for Bass N Bucks Summer Series. Sign up now for the last event before the Championship! It will be held August 8 on Sam Rayburn at the Umphrey Family Pavilion. The Championship will be a two day event September 19 & 20 on Sam Rayburn. Qualifiers will be separated into three different brackets for three 1st place winners! Over $100,000 in cash and prizes will be awarded including three brand new Ranger Boats powered by Mercury. Thank you to all of Bass N Bucks 2009 sponsors: Ranger Boats, Mercury, American Rodsmiths, City of Jasper, Lowrance, Power Pro, Wulf Outdoor Sports, Snag Proof, Tiremax, ProRule, E2 Bait Company and Fishingworld. For more information, contact Bass N Bucks at www. BassNBucks.com or call 409-727-8941.
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