Okay, enough with the prelude of how conditions constantly change prior to and during a tournament event. No need to mention the shift from chilling cold to 2-3” of nonstop rain followed by bluebird skies and no winds. No reason to set the stage for a challenging event! However, as always, the caliber of the Ozark anglers became crystal clear as 37 teams launched from beautiful Buck Creek Marina in search of the first victory of 2019 and qualifying points for the Joe Bass Team Trails Championship at Truman Lake in October.
Lapping the field was Eric and Dustin Blevins. On what both described as a tough day with the change of weather, their five fish limit pushed the scales to 24.45 pounds! Topping off their stringer was the Ozark Chevrolet Big Bass of the event, a staunch 6.14 kicker. Dustin smiled as he said their Sport Boats USA Key to Success centered on crankbaits and A-rigs on a mix of shallow and deep spots. Their bites were sporadic which kept their Bass Cat on the run all day. The big fish fell to a crankbait in a stretch of dirty water to seal the victory.
The runner up position went to Gene Crisenberry and Keith Hannaford. Gene also smiled as he said there was no reason to lie about what they did, which to lean on the rig and a jigging spoon all day. Bringing 15.64 pounds to the weigh-in reflects a great day on the lake. However, Gene cautioned they only had one fish in the box at 12:30. Nonetheless, they maintained their slow approach on bluff banks in 35-45 feet of water to take second place on a tough day.
Rounding out the top three was Jim Martin and Ted Borchers. They also fished a-rigs both shallow and deep. Mixing in a jerkbait helped them boat 15.19 pounds of Bull Shoals bass. They explained they too experienced a tough bite, as they had to “grind” away to get 7 keepers on the day. Jim and Ted added to their paycheck by taking the Sport Boats USA Skeeter Bonus as they fished from their 2016 ZX225.
The next event in the Bull Shoals Division is January 26th at 7:00 am, Buck Creek Marina.
Photos
Results
| Place | Team Members | Fish | B/F | TotWgt | Pts | Payout | |
| 1 | Dustin Blevins – Eric Blevins | 5 | 6.14 | 24.45 | 110 | $2,040.00 | 1BB |
| 2 | Gene Crisenbery – Keith Hannaford | 5 | 4.08 | 15.64 | 109 | $1,090.00 | |
| 3 | Jim Martin – Ted Borchers | 5 | 3.8 | 15.19 | 108 | $890.00 | Top Skeeter |
| 4 | Roger Harp – Kevin Hyde | 5 | 3.24 | 14.1 | 107 | $580.00 | |
| 5 | Don Parkin – Rodney Shockey | 5 | 4.27 | 14.06 | 106 | $390.00 | |
| 6 | Jeff Epley – Kelly Greer | 5 | 12.6 | 105 | $180.00 | ||
| 7 | Buck Comstock – Greg Blair | 5 | 12.17 | 104 | $160.00 | ||
| 8 | *fished aalone – Tommy Skinner | 5 | 2.77 | 12.03 | 103 | ||
| 9 | Matt Layman – Randy Colter | 5 | 11.77 | 102 | |||
| 10 | Arthur Fortin – Donald Bovat | 5 | 11.06 | 101 | |||
| 11 | Ed Young – Joey Penzo | 5 | 10.86 | 100 | |||
| 13 | Drew Sagely – Taylor Surly | 5 | 2.35 | 9.62 | 98 | ||
| 14 | David Rogers – *Laryme Campbell | 4 | 9.22 | 97 | |||
| 15 | Roger Morris – Gregg Sapp | 4 | 9.17 | 96 | |||
| 16 | Drew Tabor – Brock Tabor | 4 | 2.6 | 9.14 | 95 | ||
| 17 | Kevin Jackson – Bryan Jackson | 5 | 3.18 | 8.89 | 94 | ||
| 18 | *John Williams – Bob Capps | 4 | 8.22 | 93 | |||
| 19 | Tom Mason – Chris Reese | 4 | 2.66 | 7.14 | 92 | ||
| 20 | Gary Daniel – Jay Oliver | 4 | 6.67 | 91 | |||
| 21 | Larry Hurtt – Chris Adams | 4 | 6.52 | 90 | |||
| 22 | Wyatt Reed – Zach Pitney | 3 | 5.86 | 89 | |||
| 23 | Chad Stallcup – Jayce Mitchusson | 4 | 4.81 | 88 | |||
| 24 | Mark Thompson – Jim Smith | 2 | 4.5 | 87 | |||
| 25 | Corey Clayton – Seth Reed | 1 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 86 | ||
| 26 | Casey Brotherton – Mike White | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | Jason Davidson – Darren Tilley | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | Jacob Garrett – Kem Wallace | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | Aaron Hodge – James Bailey | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | Richie Huebner – Brandon Lowry | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | Rick Jones – Jeremy Gilbert | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | Kelly Jones – Roger Satterfield | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | Bruce Klatt – Ron Beard | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | Jim Phillips – Cody Combs | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | Mark Sanders – *Blake Hart | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | Landon Snelson – Ricky Jones | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | *Brock Knapp – Donald Wray | 0 | 10 | ||||
| 26 | Bradley Walker – Ethan Grubaugh | 0 | 10 |
*alternate