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Classic 2009 Season Day Two

Friday, May 07, 2010

Classic 2009 Season Day Two was Held on KY/Barkley Lakes May 2, 2010.

The morning of the second day anglers again woke up to thunderstorms passing through the area. Also, between the rains the day before and heavy rains the area received overnight the lake was rising fast. By tournament morning the lake had come up close to 3 feet overnight. The water was into the parking lot and the walkway to one of the docks was underwater.

Classic Director- Gary Earl and his crew were monitoring the weather and in contact with local weather forecasters. Also, there was the concern that the ramp may become unusable due to the rising water. He made contact with the TVA to check with them on this situation. It was decided that the tournament could start under a one hour delay.

Most all the storms, wind and rain pushed out for the day other than an occasional light shower. But, the damage was already done with the high water. Many anglers found it difficult to make the correct adjustments to find the keeper bites needed. Only 134 teams were able to make a catch for the day.

Although conditions were tough and weights were lower than day one, still some nice catches were made.

Team Craig Cowan / Jason Estel brought in the biggest limit for the day weighing 20.49lbs that included a 6.81lb big bass. With this weight combined with their day one weight of 12.70lbs boosted them from 40th place to take home the 3rd place prize of a new Nitro X-5 w/90hp Mercury motor provided by Tracker Marine.

Team Gary Beauchamp / David Long were in first place on day one with 23.46lbs and placed 30th on day two with a limit of 12.54lbs. Even though they had just over half the weight of day one, they were able to take the win. Their total for the two days was an even 36lbs just 2.52lbs over second place. They received the first place prize of a new Nitro Z-8 w/150hp Mercury motor provided by Tracker Marine. The team also received a bonus of $7,000 from the BPS Tournament Rewards program.

The team fished Prowler jigs with Prowler Pro Craw chunks in black & blue, flipping buck bushes in 2' or less on south Barkley on day one. But, the water turned muddy in their best areas on day two, and they had to start over on day two. 

"Anytime you win any tournament there is a certain element of luck involved. With the windy conditions our practice did not go particularly well. We were able to put together the winning pattern mostly because that is all we could get to work. The luck element came in to play on day one; getting the quality bites we needed. We had a 6.90lb and basically three more close to 5 lbs. We only had five keeper bites each day. On day two we struggled because we had to find new areas because of the muddy water, but we were persistent and finally scratched out a small limit. Our last bite just before we had to head in was one close to 5 lbs. By the looks of the day two weights, other anglers faced this same situation. 

As everyone can imagine it feels great to win any tournament. But, one of this magnitude is especially sweet! It gives you a great sense of accomplishment and rewards your hard work.

I would like to commend the entire staff of U.S.A. Bassin for how this tournament was run. We got to met some of the staff for the first time. It was amazing how smooth it went. When you take into consideration the number of boats, weather conditions, etc. they did a heck of a job! This was our first U.S.A. Bassin Classic but we intend it not to be our last.

Also, I want to thank some people who were instrumental in helping us get to the Classic in the first place: John Newton and his lovely wife for running the Renegade Twin Lakes Summer division. Sherbert Van Meter with Renegade Marine in Leitchfield, KY for all of his help with the tournaments held in our area and Nitro boats for offering the BPS Tournament Rewards program that netted us an extra $7,000.00 reward. It is also ironic that my partner, David and I purchased new Nitro Z-8’s this year, and ended up winning one in the Classic. These boats really do a great job! Even with the bad weather we were able to make long runs and didn’t miss a beat.”

                        -Gary Beaychamp

Team Ray Meredith / Larry Skaggs took 2nd place with a final total of (9) 33.48lbs. This netted them a new Nitro Z-7 w/150hp Mercury motor provided by Tracker Marine.

Team Jason Wolf / Mike Baldwin took home 4th place cash of $7,000 with a final total of (10) 32.13lbs.

Team Shannon Steibel / David Despain took home 5th place cash of $5,000 with a final total of (10) 30.53lbs.

National Points Champs:

Team Phil Miller / Dustin Miller won the points championship by beating out Regional Points champion team Mickey Beck / Danny Hankins by half a pound. Team Miller/Miller came in 7th place over all with a total of (10) 30.18lbs.

By winning the National Points Championship, they received $1,500 and a nice reward plaque. They also received an additional $1,500 for their 7th place finish.

We at U.S.A. Bassin would like to thank all of our members, directors, classic staff and partner sponsors for making this event happen.

Please show your support to all the partner sponsors of this event:

Bass Pro Shops Tournament Rewards/Tracker Marine/Nitro, All-Terrain Tackle, Prowler Pro Pitch Lures, Attack Pak Fishing, Nemire Lures, Fish Harder Companies, The Original Fish Formula, Rejuvenade, CastAway Rods, Airrus Rods, Humminbird, Minn Kota, Renegade Marine, Pro Tournament Scales, Kentucky Lake Marshall County Tourist Commission, and Ken-Bar Lodge.