The second 2002 IBF Invitational Tournament took place yesterday under sunny blue bird skies at Lake Wawasee. Even the fish needed their Solar Bats!! 189 fishermen were paired up and sent on their way to a great day of fishing starting at 6:00 A.M.
First, I want to thank all of the fishermen for their cooperation in going thru boat check and getting your boats in the water in a timely fashion. The process runs smoothly only if the fishermen help. Wawasee can be rather difficult considering the facilities. You did a great job and I commend each and every one of you for your patience and cooperation. We will continue to ask you to show your white numbered card as you come thru boat check - you may want to keep that in mind. Thanks again!!
A special thanks to Paul Hollabaugh, Don Jenkins and Don Amari for helping with traffic in the afternoon.
Sandy and I were very pleased at the turn out considering we had several Top-8 events that were scheduled the same time as our tournament. We feel it is particularly due to the new format and the new excitement it brings to the circuit. I ask all of you to continue to share the success story of this event with others and encourage them to join us at Monroe.
Entry into the 2002 Classic in October will be easier to accomplish this year because we have twice the number of qualifiers. 40 Anglers and 40 Co-Anglers will qualify for the Classic from the regular season and up to 5 Anglers and 5 Co-Anglers will qualify from the Wildcard Tournament in September. The Anglers will be fishing for the new fully equipped Ranger and cash awards while the Co-Anglers will be fishing for cash awards, Discount Coupons from Ranger and Mercury and Sponsorships for 2003. If someone missed the first tournament, they still have the opportunity to make the Classic! Remember, to be eligible for the Wildcard Tournament in September, you must have fished in 5 of the 6 events.
We had 62 fishermen bring 107 fish to the scales weighing a total of 189.34 pounds. Specifically, 45 Anglers weighed in 83 fish weighing 146.39 pounds and 17 Co-Anglers weighed in 24 fish weighing 42.95 pounds.
On the Angler side, the tournament was won by Steve Schweisberger with 5 fish weighing 9.53 pounds. He received the first place plaque and a check in the amount of $2,570. Second place went to Andy Jenkins with 5 fish weighing 8.52 pounds. He received the second place plaque and a check in the amount of $1,293. Brian Hensley finished third with 4 fish weighing 7.98 pounds and received a check in the amount of $750 and the third place plaque. Finishing fourth with 4 fish weighing 7.67 pounds was Phil Reel. He received the fourth place plaque and a check for $527. The fifth spot went to Ed Miller with 5 fish weighing 7.28 pounds. He received a check in the amount of $335 and the fifth place plaque. We paid out 10 places on the Angler side.
On the Co-Angler side, the tournament was won by Matt Wagley with 5 fish weighing 8.24 pounds. He received the first place plaque and a check in the amount of $1,238. Second place went to Larry Kitchel with 2 fish weighing 6.20 pounds. He received the second place plaque and a check in the amount of $593. Don Wilburn finished third with 2 fish weighing 4.66 pounds and received a check in the amount of $344 and the third place plaque. Finishing fourth with 2 fish weighing 3.21 pounds was Steve Lehman. He received the fourth place plaque and a check for $242. The fifth spot went to Rich Martin with 1 fish weighing 2.03 pounds. He received a check in the amount of $154 and the fifth place plaque. We paid out 9 places on the Co-Angler side. ALL the Co-Anglers are still in strong contention for the Classic.
The plaques for this tournament, as well as all the plaques for the rest of the season, were provided by the Outdoorsman Sports Shop in Greenwood, Indiana. This is a major sponsorship to our events and we all need to thank them for their support at every opportunity.
We now have two big bass pots for Anglers and two for Co-Anglers. There is the Regular Big Bass Pot and it operates the same way big bass pots always operate. The Angler and Co-Angler who catch the biggest bass (by weight) win the regular big bass pot. The second is the Progressive Big Bass Pot. The winner of this pot must catch a big bass that meets or exceeds the pre-established target weight. If no one catches a big bass that big, the Progressive Big Bas Pot carries over to the next tournament. There is a Progressive Big Bass Pot for Anglers and one for Co-Anglers.
The Angler Regular Big Bass Pot was won by Marc Dewlen with a big bass of 4.16 pounds. He received a big bass check in the amount of $384. The Co-Angler Regular Big Bass Pot was won by Larry Kitchel with a big bass of 4.83 pounds. He received a big bass check in the amount of $194. Since no Anglers or Co-Anglers caught a big bass of at least 5.50 pounds, the Progressive Big Bass Pots carry over to the Monroe Tournament. The Angler Progressive Pot currently has $964 in it and the Co-Angler Progressive Pot has $462 in it. They will be increased at Monroe based on the number of entries in the tournament. These can get to be real fun. Keep an eye on them!
The second biggest bass caught by an Angler was caught by Mark Zona with a big bass of 3.91 pounds. The second biggest bass caught by a Co-Angler was caught by Don Wilburn with a big bass of 2.71 pounds. They both received a new rod from Jack's Tackle Center in Kokomo.
The highest finishing Angler and Co-Angler mentioning Solar Bat Sunglasses while weighing in received a bonus of $50.00 for the Angler and $25.00 for the Co-Angler. Steve Schweisberger received $50.00 and Rodney Johnson received $25.00 from Solar Bat Eye Protection Systems for mentioning their product during weigh-in. Solar Bat Sunglasses will be displayed and sold at all the tournaments for your convenience.
American Trans Air is again supplying one (1) round-trip airfare for two (2) on any ATA scheduled service flight destination within the continental U.S. To qualify for this special drawing you must have fished the tournament and attended the check presentation for that tournament. For each check presentation you attend (provided you fished that tournament), you get one (1) entry towards the special drawing at the Classic. This is for the six (6) regular tournaments and will not include the Classic. Example: If you fish all six (6) tournaments and stay for all six (6) awards presentations, you will have six (6) chances towards the prize.
Too Cool Live Well Water Cooler will install one Too Cool Live Well Water Cooler for the IBF Season Champion on the Angler side. They will also install a Tool Cool Live Well cooler in the Classic Boat for the Classic Winner.
I am very happy to add "Special Sponsors" to our list of contributors. Joe Landwerlen of Gator Grip has donated a personalized Golden Rule Measuring Board for each tournament event to be included in door prizes. Mike Quinlin and Gary Kincaid are giving Hawgback Jigs as raffle prizes. Also, Rod Yoder representing Hildebrandt Baits is donating a tackle pack to the Angler and Co-Angler that is first out of the money at each tournament. We really appreciate these contributors. If you have a chance, please take a minute to thank each of the sponsors listed on our entry forms, along with the "Special Sponsors". It really does mean a lot to them - and to us. Without our sponsors - there just would not be the IBF Invitational Tournament Trail.
As you can see, there are many reasons to come out and fish the IBF trail. We welcome everyone (boaters and non-boaters) to come out and join us.
The Classic will be held on October 5th and 6th on Monroe Reservoir in Bloomington, Indiana. The top 40 Anglers from the regular season point standings and the top five Anglers at the Wildcard tournament on September 15, 2002 will qualify for the Classic as Anglers. The top 40 Co-Anglers from the regular season point standings and the top five Co-Anglers at the Wildcard tournament will qualify for the Classic as Co-Anglers. The Co-Anglers will fish the first day only of the Classic and will be fishing for Cash Awards, Discount Coupons from Ranger and Mercury and sponsorships for the 2003 season. Ted's Aqua Marine, Killbuck Valley Sports, Moore Boats, and Southern Indiana Marine will each sponsor one of the top four Co-Anglers finishers in the Classic for the 2003 season. The Anglers will fish both days with the winner receiving the new fully equipped Ranger 518. There will also be cash awards for 2nd through 10th position. The location of the Wildcard tournament will not be announced until the final regular season event on August 25, 2002 at Madison on the Ohio River.
The results for the Moore Boats Invitational at Lake Wawasee are enclosed. The next event is on June 9, 2002 at Monroe Reservoir with Hawg Stickers Baits as the host sponsor. Registration and pre-tournament meeting will be at Cutright, with registration from 3:00 to 5:00 and the meeting starting at 5:00 p.m. Get your entry forms in early to avoid late fees and to help this old Tournament Director. Remember that you can send your entry forms in together or separately if you are entering as "guaranteed," but you do need to indicate the person on the entry form. If you have entered and later find a "guaranteed" partner, just let us know and we will make the appropriate changes. YOU DON'T NEED A "GUARANTEED" PARTNER TO ENTER THE TOURNAMENT. WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE "GUARANTEED." PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU FILL OUT THE ENTRY FORM COMPLETELY. WE CAN NOT FINALIZE YOUR ENTRY UNLESS IT IS COMPLETE.
We were pleased with the participation and excitement of the fishermen. The Tournament Crew and I had a great time and enjoyed seeing all of you and hope that you had a great time fishing with us. We really appreciate your support. Please feel free to call Sandy or me if you have any questions. Let's keep it up! THE FUN HAS BEGUN!!
Dan Simmons
Tournament Director
