By Marisa Dye
Some hard lessons were learned and some personal records made at the final Oklahoma Bass Federation Qualifier. The competitors experienced numerous ups and downs during the tournament at Lake Ray Roberts near Sanger, Texas.

Saturday’s Boat Woes

The biggest news Saturday wasn’t the fish, but the boats. Two boats took on water and a third, Gene Vogt’s, spun a hub after prop chopping through a stump field. Justin Clark of the Bedlam Bass Club ran out of fuel, apparently smack dab in the middle of the lake near the dam, according to partner Jake Beam of Ponca City Bassmasters.
Clark had caught a four-fish stringer that, had he weighed them in, might have taken thetop spot on Saturday. However, things weren’t going as planned as they started taking on water due to the 4-5 foot waves.

Meanwhile, Curtis Bryan of the Bedlam Bass Club heard that Gene Vogt and non-boater Ian McNeice were stranded, so he picked them up and brought them to weigh in. Then, as word got out about Clark and Beam’s predicament, Bryan high-tailed it in their direction. The local park ranger heard of the sinking boat and hauled her big boat to the scene soon after.
Bryan said that while he was headed toward Clark’s boat, he “speared a wave and got soaked head to toe.” He said that while both bilge pumps in his Ranger were working, theyapparently got a workout once he tied onto Clark’s boat. The drag from Clark’s Hawk pulled down the back of Bryan’s boat so that water from the waves splashed all the way up into the seats. Mike Zachary, who was with Bryan, suggested that since the park ranger had pulled up in her boat, they should cut ties and save themselves.
Beam, in the boat being towed, said, “When most of his (Bryan’s) boat’s deck was dark grey instead of light grey, I knew it was bad. I wasn’t scared until we had to level the boat with our own weight up by the trolling motor to keep it from sinking. It was scary.”
Finally, after a big wave that had Bryan and Zachary up to their necks in water, Zachary cut the rope. The Ranger’s bilge pumps were getting clogged with muck, but it stayed true to the legendary promise that Rangers keep upright level floatation. However, Bryan echoed Beam’s sentiments: “I got a little bit concerned.”
Once safely on dry land, Zachary exclaimed, “I’ve got drama. Tomorrow’s do or die for me.” Zachary’s worries were put to rest Sunday when he did make the state team. He added about his experience on Bryan’s rescue boat while it towed Clark’s boat, “I was spooked. You go up and go down the waves, but there’s not enough boat for the next wave.”
Saturday’s Results
Thankfully, no boats or boaters were lost on Saturday. Though no one caught a limit, John Becerra of The Bedlam Bass Club weighed in three fish totaling 7.93 lbs. Stewart Ryan of Ada Bassmasters took 2nd with three fish weighing 8.17 pounds.
Ryan’s club mate, Brandon Beck, came out on top with 12.62 lbs for 3 fish. He was penalized a half-pound deduction for his 4th fish, which was dead.

The anglers were glad to put Saturday’s fishing behind them as they aired out their soaked drawers in preparation for Day 2.
Sunday’s Results
Day 2’s sunny skies were a welcome change for the fishermen. The curse of the broken boats lifted for the day, so everyone was able to arrive on time and mostly dry for weigh-in. Four anglers even caught a limit, which was no small feat considering Saturday’s numbers.
Mike Zachary of Ada Bassmasters took third place with four fish weighing 15.07 pounds total. Bedlam Bass Club member Matt Crawford’s limit totaled 17.12 lbs. Darrel Dye was Sunday’s big winner with a personal record (as well as the day’s Big Bass) hog weighing 8.25 pounds, which he caught while rigging. His four-fish stringer of 18.73 pounds also won him the biggest stringer of the weekend prize.
State Team Roster Named
OBF President Don Linder announced the results of the combined points from three weekend qualifiers over the past three months. The anglers and point totals he announced are as follows:

1. Stewart Ryan, State Champion, 398
2. Curtis Bryan, 388
3. Dan Wallace,  386
4. Jody Linder, 382
5. Brandon Beck, 381
6. Mike Zachary, 380
7. Matt Crawford, 379
8. Mike Morgan, 378
9. Justin Clark, 375
10. Johnny Babb, 373
11. Ron Boyd, 372
12. John Garcia, 367

The Oklahoma Bass Federation held their 2013 Junior State Championship, Sunday, April 28 on Lake Ponca in Ponca City, Oklahoma. With an overcast, windy, practice on Saturday, the weather made a dramatic change for the Sunday competition day. This is the 8th annual OBF Junior Championship for the 11-14 age and the 15-18 age group.

The State Champion in the 11-14 group was defending State Champion Trevor Owens. Trevor netted a 5 fish limit weighing 9.15 pounds. The only other limit in the younger group was brought in by Caleb Taylor, who captured the second place prize with his 7.25 pound catch. Bryce Mittasch was third with 3.59 pounds followed by Erig Hadley, 2.52, and fifth went to Dalton Owens at 1.26.

The 15-18 State Champion was Jake Keenom with a 5 fish limit weighing 7.91 pounds. Trevor Yates also weighed in a limit of bass tipping the scales at 6.41 pounds. Cameron Sherbon was third with only three fish at 5.67. Cameron’s stringer included the 3.76 big bass of the tournament as he nosed out Austin French who had 5.54 pounds. Following Austin in fifth place was Donnie Combrink with a limit weighing 5.06 pounds. Sixth place was Landon Roe with a fish weighing 1.31 pounds.

The young anglers boated 39 fish weighing 55.67 pounds for a 1.43 pound average per fish. All fish were returned to the lake after the weigh in. This years event featured three sister from the same family participating in the event, Kaitlyn Dye, Jessica Dye, and Jolie Kuhlman. The OBF/TBF events are open to all youth interested in fishing.

Our two State Champions will advance to the TBF Junior World Championship at Caddo Lake near Shreveport, LA, August 16 and 17, 2013.

Anyone interested in more information concerning our Junior/High School program should contact State Youth Director Jody Linder throught the OKBass.org web site.

DAY 1 RESULTS | DAY 2 RESULTS

By Marisa Dye
Eufaula is often known as the windiest lake in Oklahoma, which it proved on Day 2 of the tournament. Despite the anglers having a day of fishing under their belts, Sunday’s winning weight was 2.33 pounds lower than Saturday’s. Sunday’s 16 mph average winds plus gusts above that made for a rough day of fishing.
Saturday
The weather leading up to the tournament was not ideal; there was a big drop in temperature a few days before the tournament along with heavy rains in Eastern Oklahoma. Sanford “Sandy” Hooker of the Ponca City Bassmasters described the water as murky. Continue reading

By Marisa Dye
DAY 1 RESULTS | DAY 2 RESULTS

The first day of the Oklahoma Bass Federation’s Qualifier on Lake Texoma had temperatures in the low 80’s by mid-afternoon, which had some of the 30 anglers sweating and smelling worse than the fish. However, on Sunday, a cold front arrived to cool things down.

First Time Competitors

Some new recruits were fishing their first tournament. Brett Krieger may not have caught any fish on his first day, but said he “liked it a lot. It was fun and I learned a lot about the inner workings of it.”

He got to watch partner Stuart Ryan catch a 15 lb. striper on Saturday, about which Ryan apparently mused, “We could paint it green and put it in the boat!”
Another rookie, Curtiss Plunkett from OKC, was paired with Darrel Dye. Curtiss, who described himself as a “pond hopper for many years”, recently joined the Bedlam club. When asked if he planned to return to the other qualifiers, he enthused, “Most definitely! I loved it!”

Mike Zachary of the Ada club and Tim Carlton of Bedlam may have been new faces to many of the anglers. They both returned to OBF after a few years absence and fished well.

Continue reading