2004 Junior Invitational Trail
Hardy Reservoir - April 4, 2004
The first stop on the 2004 Indiana BASS Federation / Jay Gearld Memorial Junior Invitational Trail was this past weekend at Hardy Reservoir near Austin, IN. The day started out windy and very cool with the temperatures hovering around the freezing mark when the tournament started. Although it warmed up to the mid forties later in the day, the wind kept blowing strong all day. To say the least, the fishing was pretty tough. Under those conditions, I want to congratulate all of the juniors for toughing it out and making the most of it. That's part of what tournament fishing is all about.
With reports of some short fish being caught most of the day, only four juniors managed to bring keeper fish to the scales. Finishing first was Bradley Mutshler. He had two fish that weighed 2.6 lbs. Finishing second was Mark Gibbs with one fish that weighed 2.0 lbs. Mark also won the big bass award. In third place was Brad Williams with one fish at 1.6 lbs., and in fourth place was Jacob Wheeler with one fish at 1.4 lbs.
After the first of four tournaments, the year to date standings is as follows;
| Name | Points | Junior Bass Club |
| Bradley Mutshler | 150 | Silverado Junior Bass Club |
| Mark Gibbs | 149 | Bass Kids of Indiana |
| Brad Williams | 148 | Bass Kids of Indiana |
| Jacob Wheeler | 147 | Bass Kids of Indiana |
| Joseph Beckett | 0 | Washington County Youth B/M |
| Brain Evans | 0 | Junior B/M of Lafayette |
| Sarah Fancher | 0 | Silverado Junior Bass Club |
| Jeremy Harshbarger | 0 | Junior B/M of Lafayette |
| Nick Krahn | 0 | Silverado Junior Bass Club |
| Patrick Lewis | 0 | Junior B/M of Lafayette |
| Levi Jacob Moore | 0 | Junior B/M of Lafayette |
| Ben Otte | 0 | Illiana Junior B/M |
| Brad Reunsaville | 0 | |
| Ryan Rhodehamel | 0 | Bass Kids of Indiana |
| Daniel Suttles | 0 | Brookville Junior Bass Club |
| Seth Waldron | 0 | Junior B/M of Lafayette |
| Cameron Watts | 0 | Junior B/M of Lafayette |
| Spencer Worthington | 0 | Brookville Junior Bass Club |
Left to right; Bradley Mutshler, Mark Gibbs, Brad Williams, Jacob Wheeler
John Hay Bassmaster volunteers; Matt Abbott, Tournament Director (second from right), also John Elmore, Bob Schreiber, Jared Sears, and Eric Voyles
I want thank all of the parents and adults for taking their time to allow these juniors to participate. I want to give a special thanks to the volunteers of the John Hay Bassmasters and Mary Gibbs for helping operate the tournament. Their dedication to our youth made the tournament a success.
I want to especially thank the following sponsors for their donations of prizes for the kids.
Indiana Bass Federation
Ranger Boats
Touchdown Worms
Uncle Josh Bait Company
MotorGuide
Print Works, Whiteland, IN
Embroidery & Crafts, Avon, IN
Gambler Bang
Hookhider Fishing Rods
Patoka Valley B/M, Jasper, IN
Mik Lurch Fishing Tackle, Hammond, IN
Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits
Got 2 Love It Bass Tournaments
Moore Bait & Tackle, Cambridge City, IN
D. & S. Lures, Mooresville, IN
See you at the next tournament, scheduled for June 13th, at Patoka Reservoir.
Sincerely,
Ken Gibbs
Indiana BASS Federation, Youth Director
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