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Invitational Tournament Trail
Classic Tournament
October 11 & 12, 2003
The 2003 Indiana Bass Federation Tournament Trail season is HISTORY!! The Classic was held on Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12, 2003 at Patoka Reservoir. What an exciting two-day event!! The first day started with the breakfast meeting at 4:30 a.m. with 45 Anglers and 45 Co-Anglers ready for a great day of fishing. Everyone made their way from the breakfast site at the Days Inn in Jasper, Indiana to Patoka Reservoir for take off at 7:00 a.m.
Weigh in was at 3:00 p.m. and the excitement was tremendous!! This was the first time the Classic Angler Winner and the Classic Co-Angler Winner each would be awarded a new Ranger Boat. 37 Anglers brought 78 bass weighing 199.28 pounds and 19 Co-Anglers brought in 35 bass weighing 89.76 pounds on Day 1. The results weren't revealed until the Banquet on Saturday evening.
The Classic Banquet started at 6:00. After a hard day of fishing it was time to let loose and have some great fun - which as you will remember is our main goal!! This was the 26th Anniversary of the Invitational Trail. The evening was very full and went fast even though the fishermen were tired and anxious about the next day of fishing. Mike McDonald discussed some of the history of the Classic and talked about the special relationship Rangers boats has with the Federation.
Rob Worthy and his wife Jerrie were introduced. Rob will be the Tournament Director for the Invitational Trail beginning in 2004!
Mike Stetich was recognized as the Angler of the Year. This was Mike's first year to fish the Invitational Trail and he thanked his friend Mark Randolph for convincing him to fish it this year. He received a MotorGuide Trolling Motor, Lowrance GPS, Solar Bat Sunglasses, an Angler of the Year Plaque and an Angler of the Year ring (to be given at the December State Meeting).
Steve Lehman was recognized as the Co-Angler of the Year. He received a Shimano Rod and Reel Combo, Lowrance X97 Fish Finder, Solar Bat Sunglasses, Co-Angler of the Year Plaque, and a Co-Angler of the Year ring (to be given at the December State Meeting).
Congratulations to both Mike and Steve!! These accomplishments are no small feat with all the great competition they had in the Invitational Tournaments in 2003.
Both the Anglers and Co-Anglers were recognized by the sponsors with gifts. We also had door prizes for the fishermen and their guests. The ladies present were given a ticket for door prizes. All the children attending the event were given a pair of children's Solar Bat Sunglasses. As an added incentive for the fishermen to catch fish, Sandy and I decided to give two Sponge Bob Square Pants fishing rods to one Angler and Co-Angler to "some deserving fishermen" on Sunday. We suggested that if they were the lucky recipients, they could use the rods in their bath tubs this winter to Practice, Practice, Practice!! Everyone had a great time.
Sunday morning started with the Breakfast Meeting. The fishermen were a little more serious, but there was still joking and laughter (especially about Sponge Bob Square Pants and who should get them and who didn't want them). We had a little bit of drizzle, but were able to get the fishermen started a little early.
The Day 2 catch was similar to Day 1 with 33 Anglers bringing 66 bass to the scales weighing 178.62 pounds and 18 Co-Anglers bringing 25 bass the scales weighing 58.54 pounds. The total catch for two days for the Anglers was 144 bass weighing 377.90 pounds. The Co-Anglers caught 60 bass weighing 148.30 pounds. The average size bass caught was 2.58 pounds! That's a nice average!
The Classic Co-Angler winner was Carter Shackelford with 6 bass weighing 18.26 pounds. He received a fully equipped 2003 Ranger R61Bass Boat, Ranger Trail Trailer, 90 HP Mercury Marine outboard with a MotorGuide Trolling Motor and Lowrance Electronics. His entry fees for the 2004 season will be paid by Ted's Aqua Marine. He also received a pair of Solar Bat Sunglasses and a gift pack from Killbuck Valley Sports. Second place went to Steve Lehman with 5 bass weighing 10.80 pounds. He received a check in the amount of $925, a second place plaque and his entry fees for the 2004 season paid by Moore Boats. John Fritz finished third with 4 bass weighing 9.36 pounds and received a check in the amount of $740, a third place plaque and his entry fees for the 2003 season paid by Southern Indiana Marine. Finishing fourth with 3 bass weighing 9.14 pounds was Jack Sturm. He received a check for $629, a fourth place plaque and his entry fees for the 2003 season paid by Killbuck Valley Sports. Finishing fifth was Chad Starrett with 4 bass weighing 8.02 pounds. He received a check in the amount of $481 and a fifth place plaque. We paid out 10 places on the Co-Angler side.
The Angler Classic Winner was Danny Blanford with a total of 9 bass weighing 20.46 pounds! He received a fully rigged Ranger 519 Bass Boat, Ranger Trail Trailer, 200 HP Mercury Outboard, Lowrance Electronics, MotorGuide Trolling Motor, a Tool Cool Live Well Water Cooler, Solar Bat Sunglasses, and a gift Pack from Killbuck Valley Sports. Second place went to Brad Schneck with a total of 8 bass weighing 20.32 pounds. He received the second place plaque and a check in the amount of $1,983. Tom Todd finished third with a total of 5 bass weighing 17.18 pounds and received a check in the amount of $1,586 and the third place plaque. Finishing fourth with a total of 5 bass weighing 16.12 pounds was Gary Edwards. He received the fourth place plaque and a check for $1,348. The fifth spot went to Terry Dillon with a total of 5 bass weighing 16.02 pounds. He received a check in the amount of $1,031 and the fifth place plaque. We paid out 10 places on the Angler side.
This is one of the closest finishes in our history with only .14 pounds separating first and second in the Angler competition. Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year's Classic. You have to have a great year just to get to the Classic and all of the participants did just that!
Terry Dillon had big bass for the Anglers on Day 1 with a big bass weighing 5.08 pounds. He received a check for $225.00. Jack Sturm had big bass on Day 1 form the Co-Anglers with a big bass of 5.86 pounds. He also received $225.00. Scott Hardwick caught big bass on day 2 for the Anglers with a big bass weighing 5.20 pounds while Carter Shackelford had big bass for the Co-Anglers with a big bass weighing 3.48 pounds. They both received checks for $225.00. Jack Sturm's big bass of 5.86 pounds was the big bass of the weekend and he received a certificate for a Hibernet Retractable Landing Net as well.
The Angler Winner of the Sponge Bob Square Pants fishing rod was Rob Merriman. Although he did catch a fish, he was the next in line as the names were called off. The Co-Angler Winner (there was a 16-way tie) of the Sponge Bob Square Pants fishing rod was Roy Potter. The difficult decision of the Winners was left to the Tournament Director. It was rumored that his criteria for his decision was based on the great sense of humors of the Winners. Remember Rob and Roy, Practice, Practice, Practice!!!
The Tournament Crew and I had a great time conducting the 2003 IBF Invitational Tournaments. We thank all of you for your participation and hope that you had a great time fishing with us. We really appreciate your support and trust that you will all come back next year and bring someone new with you!
Dan Simmons
Tournament Director
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