Carolina Bassers
Lake Gaston Tournament October 16, 2004

TOURNEY RUNDOWN
The first day of this two-day tournament weekend dawned clear and cold.  A big cold front had just moved through and October was finally here!  Blue skies and fall winds throughout the day were a big factor as fishing proved tough yet again.

Rich Szczerbala topped the field in First Place with a nice sack of 5 fish weighing 8.87 lbs.  His faithful standby of a Jig-n-pig helped him score.  Second Place went to Hume Hawkins with 4 fish weighing 8.05 lbs and anchored by the Big Bass award of 4.77 lbs.  A close Third Place was awarded to Ron “ I’ve got my limit” Johnson with 5 fish weighing 7.58 lbs.  Ron fooled his fish with a Senko. Fourth Place was earned by Jerry Everly with 3 healthy fish weighing 6.13 lbs.  Jerry serenaded his fish with good tunes and a spinnerbait.  Finally, Fifth Place went to Gerald Rhodes with 2 fish weighing 6.02 lbs.  Gerald tempted his fish with pepperoni spiced Senko’s and a spinnerbait.

The youth showed up in force again and several proved they knew how to take fish with a tough bite.  Once more, “Rising Pro” Nick Bell took Top Honors (1St Place and Big Fish) with a nice sack of five fish weighing 9.72 lbs.  Nick used his trusty buzzbait and a Senko to score big.  “Young Tiger” Joey Gwynn bagged 2 fish weighing 3.83 lbs for a strong Second Place.  Joey dazzled ‘em with a shiny spinnerbait.  “Twin T” (Tyler Teer) snagged a keeper weighing 2.10 lbs on a Rattletrap for Third Place.  Fourth Place was garnered by “Wild Man” Britt Kuchen with one fish weighing 1.79 lbs.  Finally, Fifth Place went to Westley Riddle with one still growing bass weighing .70 lbs.  Westley tricked him with a buzzbait.

As day one of the final tournament weekend ended, a great cookout was had at Outdoor World.  Storm Rutcho, Ron Johnson, Dave Blanton and many others helped make the feast of Bubba burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, beans and fixins for a most hungry crowd. There was plenty for all and after a hard day of fishing it was great food!  Transportation to and from the event was provided by Ray’s Water Taxi.

WEATHER CONDITIONS
Sunny/cool - Air temps ranged from a morning low of 42 to a high of 68 degrees.  Winds – Steady 10 to 20 knots, some higher gusts.  Water temp - Averaged 66-69 degrees, depending on where you fished.

Article by Ray Russ

 Tournament Data
Participants: 35
Youth Participants:  12
Participants catching fish: 26
Fished weighed:  81  (5 over 14")
Limits:  3
Fish weighing over 5 pounds:  0

Tournament Results                                                 Youth Results

Place Angler Bass Weight Place Angler Bass Weight
1st Rich Szczerbala 5 8.87 1st Nick Bell 5 9.72
2nd Hume Hawkins 4 8.05 2nd Joey Gwyn 2 2.03
3rd Ron Johnson 5 7.58        
4th Jerry Everly 3 6.13        
5th Gerald Rhodes 2 6.02        
Honorable Mention Honorable Mention
Ricky Gwyn 3 5.99      
Big Fish Weight Big Fish Weight
Hume Hawkins 4.77     Nick Bell 3.45  
   

 

 Right to Left Top 5 Hume Hawkins Big Fish & 2nd Place
Youth Nick Bell 1st Place & Big Fish