After six days of tournaments, with each angler counting their top four days, the race for the State Champion title came down to a dead heat with Stewart Ryan and Brandon Moss tied with 394 points. Not only were they tied on points, they were also equal on the first two tie breakers, most fish weighed (20) and most fish weighed alive (20). The third tie breaker was the largest single day catch. Stewart won that with a 15 lbs stringer while Brandon could not seem to bread into the 15 pound range. Dean Matts took third followed by Mike Zachary, Ron Fuller, Curtis Bryan, and Johnny Babb. The top 6 will be our Boaters at the Central Division Tournament May 31 thru June 5 on Tenn-Tom waterway in Aberdeen, Mississippi. (Due to work schedule, Cutis Bryan will not be able to attend the Divisional.) The 12 man team will be filled with Ron Boyd, Gene Vogt, Brannon Whipple, John Garcia, Jackie Hausmann, and Chuck Nelson as the non-boaters.
The final tournament was held on the River system out of the 3 Forks ramp in Muskogee. Although we have had changing weather at our first two tournaments, the May 2,3 event went without abrupt changes and limited wind conditions. Due to the intense competition during the first two tournaments, 37 anglers still had a chance to move into the top 12. In fact, Jackie Husmann moved from 34 to 12th will Gene Vogt shot from 33 up to 9th.
Day 1
The Saturday event began with a 6:00 am start and concluded with a 3:00 pm weighin. Brandon Moss lead the field with a catch of 13.80 with the big bass of 5.08 pounds to anchor his catch. Stewart Ryan was second with a 10.60 stringer. Third went to Jackie Husmann at 8.74 followed by Kyle Tudor’s 8.24 nosing out Michael Morris’ 8.23 by .01 pounds to complete the top 5. Rounding out the top 10 were Shawn Lewis at 6th, John Garcia 7th, Brian Browning 8th, Sandy Hooker 9th and Brandon West 10th.
Day 2
The final day of competition in our State Qualifying tournament schedule was again a partly clouded sky with a mild wind. The top angler for day 2 was our 2014 State Champion Mike Zachary with the big bass (4.41) and top creel of 14.47 pounds. Following in second, matching his first days catch, was Stewart Ryan at 13.34. Completing the top 5 were Gene Vogt with 11.62, Brandon Moss at 9.92, and Chuck Nelson with 9.06. The 6 thru 10 place finisher for the day were Brian Browning, Michael Morris, Dean Matts, Brannon Whipple and Don Linder.
This final tournament also featured a “second chance” tournament for those with 175 two day points totals or less and not open to those that eventually make the top 12 team. The pay back was 60% for first, 30% second and 10% for third based on a $10 per day entry fee. Day one was won by Jackie Husmann but due to his making the team Kyle Tudor was declared the first day winner with Jackie being refunded his entry fee. Michael Morris was second while Shawn Lewis held the final spot. Day two found Gene Vogt in the same position as Jackie on Day 1, therefore, Brian Browning was declared the second chance winner on Day 2 followed by Michael Morris and Don Linder at third.
Our next tournament will be an Open Team event on the River June 26. Check the OKBASS.org website for info and entry forms. The final tournament will also be held in Muskogee with a combination Top 6 and a two person team tournament September 11 and 12. The two person team event will require that one of the two members be an OBF member, at least 16 years of age and have a valid Oklahoma Drivers License. Details will follow or call 580761-8094.
