Skeeter Bass Champs Central Region anglers hit Lake Travis May 5, 2012 vying for a portion of $38,350 being paid back in cash and prizes in a 119% payback tournament. It was a windy day and fish were finicky, but when the bass bit they were feisty. Ruben Ribera and Lino Gutiterez caught the biggest sack of the day to win the guaranteed 1st place $20,000 check.

The wind tried to play havoc for many of the anglers as they scattered across Lake Travis. The better bass was found on wind blown points and trolling motors were put to the test trying to stay on those fishing spots.

Ruben Ribera and Lino Gutiterez started their day chasing the eight ball due to getting a late start. The field of anglers were let loose at 6:20, but Ribera & Gutiterez didn’t get on the water until 7:30. "We got to our first hole as fast as we could, and didn’t catch any keepers on it." Scrambling to a wind blown point to try next, they put a limit together. "Once we caught a limit, we started drifting down river and caught a five pounder to add to it." Then they came across a hump with a big brush pile on it. "There were a lot of good fish holding in that brush pile. We culled a whole limit out of it." Among them were three 4 1/2 pounders. "I broke my Carrot Stick rod on one of them, but still managed to land the fish." Mike VanBrockman at the Highlander Restaurant had given him that pole. "We had all the fish we weighed in by 1:30." When they brought their creel to the scales, it registered 18.66 lbs and took the lead. "There was still an hour to go before they closed the scales. We’ve won 2nd place a couple of times, and we know how good these other teams are. When we were being taken back for the polygraph test, we passed a team that had a good looking sack. We were worried." When the scales were closed, Gutiterez and Ribera’s weight had held for a 1st place win. "Today was just our day. Everything went just right. We’ve been fishing Bass Champs for 7 years now. All you guys that haven’t won one yet, keep trying! Just being able to finally say that we have with the caliber of people we fish against is very nice." Bass Champs presented them with a check for $20,000. In addition, they had purchased a qualifying Dodge truck and won the Dodge Ram Bonus, giving them a free entry into any Bass Champs tournament in the next 12 months. "I would like to thank my father for taking me fishing when I was young, and to my uncle for showing me how to catch black bass!" - Ruben Ribera

Gerald Poboril and Jack Powe had the sack that made the winners nervous. They weighed in a 17.09 lb limit that won 2nd place and a check for $2,500.

Several nice kickers were seen, but the biggest of them all was caught by Roy Frields, fishing with his brother Roger. "We hadn’t done any pre-fishing, at our age we just go and work with our instincts." They made their way to a windy point 15’ deep. "It was about 7:15, and I was dead sticking a blue Yum worm." As the boat was drifting one direction blown by the wind, he saw his line heading another. "She just picked it up and started heading out to deep water. When I set the hook, I told my brother I had a big fish. He said ’yeah right, probably another three pounder’. Then she jumped, and he got excited. Looked like a ten pounder. We got her in, and she had the head of a ten pounder, but a really skinny body." That fish registered 7.02 pounds on the scales and earned them $500 for the biggest bass of the tournament. It also anchored their 15th place overall win for another $500 check. (Chuckling) "Chad really gives us a hard time up there on that stage, and we really enjoy giving it right back to him. It’s all in fun and we have a good time. My brother and I have been fishing partners for 35 years now, and really enjoy fishing Bass Champs together. We’re really lookin’ forward to the Belton tournament next month!"

Skeeter Boats doubled the 10th place winnings for Dale Reed and Ronny Maynard as they fished from a qualified Skeeter rig.

Bass Champs sponsors offer thousands of dollars in extra bonus money at each event. Go to the BassChamps website, click on the sponsors tab to see how you can qualify to win even more money at every tournament.

There is only one tournament left for the Central Region 2012 season. Who will be Anglers of the Year is too close to call. The team that wins this prestigious title will additionally be able to compete in the 2013 season in the region they won the title in at no charge! Points leaders with one to go are:

The countdown is on with very few opportunities left to win some big cash with Bass Champs. The remainder of the Bass Champs 2012 team schedule is:

Other upcoming Bass Champs hosted events include the 19th Annual Skeeter Owner’s Tournament on Lake Fork June 9-10, then the 7th Annual Berkley Big Bass tournament again on Lake Fork October 20-21.

For more information on any Bass Champs tournaments, visit the website or call 817-439-3274.

Team Championship lakes and dates are now available

Any team that has entered all five events in any region automatically qualify for all 4 championships

Set your DVR’s for Bass Champs Television on The World Fishing Network!Mondays @ 8:30 PM Central