(March 27-28,1999 - Cedar Creek Lake/Malakoff, TX)... More than 100 bass over five pounds were weighed in by the 1000+ anglers in the 16th Annual KCKL 95.9 FM Big Bass Tournament held last weekend out of Log Cabin City Park. Rare conditions of light winds, no recent cold fronts, and an upcoming full moon helped produce the record number of BIG BASS. Anglers weighed in more than 600 fish while competing for more than $62,500 in prizes and cash awards including two SKEETER/YAMAHA fishing rigs from Plano Marine. Due to the efforts of "Fish Doctor" Gary Turner and crew, all but five of the Tournament caught bass were released back into Cedar Creek Lake. For the second consecutive year, the Tournament winning fish was landed on the second competition day. David Roberts of Mabank brought a beautiful 11.11 pound bass to the scales just before noon to win 1st Prize – a lake ready SKEETER SX 186 with 150 HP YAMAHA OUTBOARD. David reported making the winning catch on a lizard near shallow water rocks on the lower end of the lake. Fishing the Tournament in a borrowed boat due to problems with his own rig, David is really looking forward to fishing out of his new red and black metalflake SKEETER.
The 2nd and 3rd Place fish were also caught on Sunday. Duane Culpepper of Grand Prairie brought a massive 10.66 lunker to the scales to take home $5,200 for his catch. Earlier on Sunday morning, eventual 3rd Place finisher Bobby Earnheart of Kaufman brought in a 9.93 pound bass caught on a Strike King crankbait. He led the Tournament for several nervous hours before Culpepper and Roberts came to the scales. When asked why he was limping, Earnheart reported that in the process of lipping the giant fish, he put his knee down on a spare rod rigged with a double treble hook bait and hooked himself securely. Only after landing a nearly 10 lb. bass could an excited angler proceed to "un-hook" himself and smile. Later in the day, he took home $2,700 which went a long way to ease his pain.
Due to excellent participation, the Tournament was again able to increase the cash awards and number of checks to levels well above the original guarantee. In addition to the SKEETER/YAMAHA 1st Place rig, over 175 checks were presented to winners in the Hourly and Final Standings competition.
Light winds and pleasant temperatures allowed the SKEETER/YAMAHA Factory Team to show off many of the ZX models in performance Demo rides on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Also, Plano Marine representatives were on hand to talk to anglers about new and used rigs during the Saturday afternoon BBQ. After the final weigh-in, a Contestant Drawing was held for a new SKEETER/YAMAHA aluminum rig. The lucky winner of the Draw Boat was Dan Ballard of Dallas.
The 16th Annual KCKL 95.9 FM Big Bass Tournament was sponsored by KCKL Radio, Plano Marine, Skeeter Boats, and Yamaha Outboards. Additional product participation was provided by Strike King Lure Company, Stren, Browning, Lew’s, Bass Pro Shops, DigitSmith Embroidered Graphics, and CastAway Rods.
TOP 25 BIG BASS
| Pl | | Angler/City | | Weight | | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | | David Roberts, Mabank | | 11.11 | | $22,000 | SKEETER YAMAHA RIG |
| 2 | | Duane Culpepper, Grand Prairie | | 10.66 | | $5,200 |
| 3 | | Bobby Earnheart, Kaufman | | 9.93 | | $2,700 |
| 4 | | Clay Coltharp, Terrell | | 9.72 | | $1,700 |
| 5 | | Mike Kindley, Arlington | | 9.64 | | $1,450 |
| 6 | | Morgan Ellis, Maypearl | | 9.35 | | $1,200 |
| 7 | | David Brown, Waxahachie | | 9.16 | | $1,000 |
| 8 | | Lennon Mitchell, Arlington | | 9.06 | | $1,000 |
| 9 | | Travis Bright, Waxahachie | | 8.90 | | $1,000 |
| 10 | | Louis Brummett, Crandall | | 8.44 | | $1,000 |
| 11 | | Gene Dodson, Red Oak | | 8.28 | | $250 |
| 12 | | Bruce Spring, Terrell | | 8.27 | | $250 |
| 13 | | Curtis Bruce, Combine | | 8.24 | | $250 |
| 14 | | Doug Tapley, Trinidad | | 7.83 | | $250 |
| 15 | | Kevin Goodson, Mabank | | 7.81 | | $250 |
| 16 | | Coy Porter, Rockwall | | 7.80 | | $250 |
| 17 | | Randy Lynn, Village Mills | | 7.74 | | $250 |
| 18 | | Luke Hurt, Seagoville | | 7.61 | | $250 |
| 19 | | Jeff Norris, Mabank | | 7.52 | | $250 |
| 20 | | Tony Bryant, Mesquite | | 7.40 | | $250 |
| 21 | | Keith Keeling | | 7.35 | | $200 |
| 22 | | Randy Payton | | 7.34 | | $200 |
| 23 | | Johnny Vanover | | 7.30 | | $200 |
| 24 | | Sonny Wilson | | 7.29 | | $200 |
| 25 | | Sam Scroggins | | 7.23 | | $200 |
75 Places were paid in the Overall Final Standings. Most of those also won additional money in the 80 Hourly Awards for the top five bass weighed-in each hour.
Ladies Division Awards
| 1 | | Katie Wiggins, Combine | | 6.16 | | $200 |
| 2 | | Pat Calderon, Plano | | 5.50 | | $100 |
| 3 | | Teresa Rollins, Terrell | | 4.98 | | $75 |
Youth Division Awards*
| 1 | | Dustin Isabell, Athens | | 7.13 | | $150 |
| 2 | | Michael Davis, Malakoff | | 4.56 | | $75 |
| 3 | | Christopher Herrington, Athens | | 4.10 | | $50 |
* 12 Places were paid in the Youth Division
