Highlights from Roosevelt, January 21

Thirty-three boats with 64 anglers entered the Roosevelt Tournament. Pre-fishing was widely reported to be tough. The weather was fair and had been stable for several days. Water temps were in the mid 60s. However, most Teams pre-fishing reported Skunks or 1-2 bass per day. Where were the bass? It was not a harbinger of good things to happen on Tournament Day.

Tournament Day began with anglers in the parking lot, heading for the Flashing Lights on President Floyd Vaughan’s truck. Many entered the optional Side Pot ($20/Angler; Payout Ratio 1:4). At 0600, Floyd and our new Tournament Director (TD), Kirk Krogman, called the Pre-Launch Meeting to order. They summarized the Facts Sheet, reminded anglers that compliance with MWBA’s Tournament Rules is mandatory, and emphasized the Tonto National Forest’s weird restriction in our Tournament Permit that prohibits us from fishing inside the perimeter of the Marina. Floyd intends to speak with the Tonto about that restriction, but it was in effect on Tournament Day. The Marina restriction: Neither boats nor lures can cross the perimeter buoy lines. Ouch!

In the Meeting, anglers were very attentive. Usually, sidebar conversations are common, and anglers drift in and out of the meeting. Not this time. With few distractions, Floyd and Kirk could be heard.

After the Meeting, Teams went to launch. Floyd and Jim Duel helped at the ramp, as usual, so launching went well, with one notable exception. An enormous RV had problems backing down. Clearly, the driver couldn’t see the boat behind him. If you’ve ever backed a rig like that down a poorly-lit ramp in the dark, you probably shared his pain. Eventually, the boat launched and the lane was freed up. The flotilla assembled in the Cove, more or less in Flights. Per Floyd’s request, most Boaters used their trolling motors from launch until joining the Start Line. This helped them maintain their position more easily (and safely) than typically happens with Big Motors.

At 0700 (Safe Light), the ooze-off Start began. It was smooth. Boats rocketed across the lake. It was game on at 48 degrees ambient temp! Click the Link Button above to see the Tournament Results. Highlights included two Teams catching 5-lbers and 64 anglers bringing in 93 bass (one DOA), which is roughly three bass per boat—much better than it was during pre-fishing.

Bass Bites (to be posted on January 30) includes reports from most of Roosevelt's money-winners. Here are what the money winners won and what they caught and kept.

1st Place and $1328 went to Joe Michels and Robert Ferrara. They also took 1st Place in the Side Pot, adding another $570 to their haul. They had a 5-Alive limit of 13.61 lb, including a 5-lber Pot winning 5.50-lb bass that was the larger of the two 5-lbers caught in this event.

2nd Place and $712 went to Vern Ridgway and Terry Johnson. They brought in a 5-Alive limit of 10.33 lb, including the 2nd Place Big Bass, which weighed 3.39 lb. They took 2nd Place in the Side Pot, worth $350 of their $712.

3rd Place and $274 went to Andy Goettl and newbie Member Mike Cuevas, for 5-Alive that weighed 8.86 lb. They took 3rd Place in the Side Pot, which was good for another $220.

4th Place and $192 went to Steve Grier and Joe Edgett, for a 5-Alive limit of 7.93 lb. They also took FOTM in the Side Pot.

5th Place and $536 went to Kevin Smith and David Dunlap, for a 2-Alive catch of 7.66 lb. Their winnings were enhanced by the 2nd 5-lb fatty of the day, which weighed 5.14 lb. Because Joe and Robert took the 5-lber Pot, Kevin and David defaulted to 1st Big Fish, worth $398.

6th Place and $120 went to Nick Teschler and Joel Steenstra, for a 4-Alive limit of 7.51 lb. Their big bass weighed 2.73 lb.

7th Place and $116 went to TD Kirk Krogman and Steven Cook, for a 5-Alive limit of 6.31 lb, which included a 2.01 lber.

8th and Final Payout Place earned $110 for Steve ”Uber” Ferguson and Mark Roya, for a 5-Alive limit of 6.09 lb, which included a 2.17 lber. Thx again, Steve, for the Ranger ride out to my Boater!

The Bottom Line: It was a great day to be on the water. Our anglers caught a lot more fish on Tournament Day than they did while pre-fishing. That is infinitely better than the reverse would have been. And only one of the 93 bass brought to the scale was dead, which speaks well of MWBA fish care. The Weigh-In Team handled their jobs well, processing fish quickly and efficiently. Anglers cooperated well by maintaining distance from the Weigh-In Station, so they didn’t distract the Weigh-In Team. Release of the fish also went well. It’s nice to have the Weigh-In Station at the top of the ramp. It makes for a shorter walk to the water to release fish. Roosevelt is just a great place to hold a tournament.

Author: Terry B. Johnson