(April 10-11, 1999 - Sam Rayburn Reservoir. TX)... Sam Rayburn Reservoir, April 11 - The 44th Annual gathering of the "World’s Oldest Bass Tournament" saw many old and new faces taking home honors in the various competition Divisions. Warm weather, post spawn conditions, and the effects of last summer’s heat stress related fish kill combined to produce average stringer weights much below the levels normally required to take this historic event. While many anglers reported catching large numbers of fish, making the 14" minimum size length proved a challenge.In the Team Division, Charles Wright and Tom McCroskey of Arlington anchored their 1st Place catch of 38.41 lbs. with the Tournament’s Big Bass of 9.01 lbs. They reported catching most of their fish on Texas rigged black lizards and carolina rigs in 4 to 8 feet of water on a mid lake hump. First day leaders, Mike McBurney of Tyler and Gary Baldwin of Longview, finished in 2nd Place with 31.01 lbs. The McBurney/Baldwin Team reported catching early fish on spinnerbaits then moved to a submerged clay hilltop surrounded by grass clumps at the 8-10 foot level for a carolina rig bite.
Other State Championship winners included:
| Individual Division | Wendell Burrows of Huntington | 16.39 lbs. |
| Sr. Individual | John Powers of Lufkin | 16.99 lbs. |
| Sr. Team Division | Don Jones and Norman Terry of Jacksonville | 17.05 lbs. |
| Couples | Rick and Daphne Carter of Alba | 28.72 lbs. |
| Adult/Youth | Mark and Kyle Cooper of Deer Park | 18.31 lbs. |
Tournament founder Earl Golding and wife Martha were in attendance for the weekend festivities. Earl conceived and initiated the sport of competitive bass fishing with the first organized large-scale bass fishing event at Lake Whitney in 1955. The Texas State Bass Tournament has grown to become an annual convention of fishing friends, as well as a great competitive contest, which includes a glittering roster of great Texas anglers. Past events have attracted as many as 1,285 participants. In their developing fishing careers, several Texas BASS Pros have fished the Texas State Tournament including Randy Behringer, Ricky Clunn, Rayborn Waits, David Wharton, and Lendell Martin, Jr.
A special bonus at this year’s assembly was the release of the much researched Texas State Bass Tournament Commemorative Program. This color chronicle of the history of the event includes the results of the nearly all the Tournaments going back to 1955. Special thanks to Dan Kessler for a great job in putting together a top quality publication. A limited number of the Tournament Programs are available by contacting the Committee at www.fishingworld.com/txstatebass or by writing TSBT, P.O. Box 6495, Tyler, Texas 75711.
In addition to State Championship honors and commemorative wall plaques, numerous Contestant draw prizes were awarded including rods, reels, tackle packs, trolling motors, and other fishing related equipment. The final draw prize was a SKEETER SX-17 with 40 HP YAMAHA. The draw boat was won by William R. Shamber of Grand Prairie. Additionally, the Early Entry draw prize of a trip for two to the BassMasters Classic Finals was awarded to Taeger Sutphin of Mansfield.
Mark your calendar now for the 45th ANNUAL TEXAS STATE BASS TOURNAMENT to be held May 6-7, 2000 at Toledo Bend Reservoir. Headquarters will at Frontier Park.
The 44th ANNUAL TEXAS STATE BASS TOURNAMENT was sponsored by STRIKE KING, STREN, SKEETER BOATS, AND YAMAHA OUTBOARDS.
FINAL RESULTS
TEAM DIVISION
| 1. | Charles Wright & Tom McCroskey, Arlington | | | | 38.41 |
| 2. | Mike McBurney, Tyler & Gary Baldwin, Longview | | | | 31.01 |
| 3. | Billy Keener, Winnsboro & Darren Keener, Mansfield | | | | 20.47 |
| 4. | Dale Rabe, Arlington & Charlie McFarland, Burleson | | | | 20.45 |
| 5. | Barry Stegall, Broken Bow & Roy Grammer, Longview | | | | 20.10 |
| 6. | Justin Morton, Etoile & Michael Burrous, Huntington | | | | 18.58 |
| 7. | Richard Strong, Humble & Bill Harlan, Huffman | | | | 16.35 |
| 8. | Brian Whitlow & Brad Tyler, Arlington | | | | 15.51 |
| 9. | Jim and Donna Murray, Falcon Heights | | | | 15.12 |
| 10. | Charles Williams & Tracy Lawhon, Corsicana | | | | 14.70 |
INDIVIDUAL DIVISION
| 1. Wendell Burrows, Huntington | | | | | | 16.29 |
| 2. William B. Shelton, Lufkin | | | | | | 11.43 |
| 3 David Parnell, Lufkin | | | | | | 9.64 |
| 4. Lonnie Fuller, Hemphill | | | | | | 7.68 |
| 5. Jerry "Doc" Wright, Waco | | | | | | 7.19 |
COUPLES DIVISION
| 1. Rick and Daphne Carter, Alba | | | | 28.72 |
| 2. Larry and Laurel Ledbetter, Ft. Worth | | | | 26.67 |
| 3. Jim and Lori Moroski, Hemphill | | | | 24.36 |
| 4. Gary and Jacki Barcroft, Emory | | | | 22.20 |
| 5. Dennis McGuire & Jille Crow, Weatherford | | | | 14.46 |
ADULT/YOUTH
| 1. Mark & Kyle Cooper, Deer Park | | | | | | 18.31 |
| 2. Tim & Cody Almand, Diboll | | | | | | |
| 3. Jim & Mathew Horner, Saginaw | | | | | | 13.39 |
| 4. Mark & Katelyn Eberlan, Lufkin | | | | | | 12.41 |
| 5. Stephen & Daniel Rhodes, Lufkin | | | | | | 10.00 |
SENIOR TEAM
| 1. Don Jones & Norman Terry, Jacksonville | | | | | 17.05 |
| 2. Jim Saxton, Houston & Joe Harris, Lufkin | | | | | 15.39 |
| 3. Hoyt Fincher, Burleson & Bill Boyd, Colleyville | | | | | 11.49 |
SENIOR INDIVIDUAL
| 1. John R. Powers, Lufkin | | | | | | | 16.99 |
BIG BASSOverall:
| 1. Charles Wright, Arlington | | | 9.01 |
| 2. Jimmy Murray, Falcon Heights | | | 8.56 |
| 3. Mark Cooper, Deer Park | | | 8.06 |
Boy’s:Mathew Horner, Saginaw --- 3.43
Girl’s:Heather Jenkins, Lufkin --- 1.79
