The return to constant change was definitely in place for the penultimate tournament of the 2019 Joe Bass Bull Shoals Division. Weather fluctuated from rain and ice early in the week to a dense fog/mist combination and a forty degree high on Friday with more to start the tournament day. However, by noon the clouds had broken, the sunny appeared, temperatures rose into the mid-60’s and the wind blew. Although faced with ever-changing conditions, the Ozark anglers proved they were up to the task as they launched from Buck Creek Marina in search of the winning weight and qualifying points for the Joe Bass Team Trails Championship at Truman Lake in October.
Mark Thompson and Jim Smith took top honors with a 19.28 pound bag of largemouth. Anchoring their limit was the Ozark Chevrolet Big Bass which weighed 4.59 pounds. Their Sport Boats USA Key to Success which was slinging umbrella rigs on gently sloping banks while staying far enough offshore to target what they felt was the original bank line. Adding to their take was another Sport Boats USA Skeeter Bonus as they fished from Mark’s Sport Boats USA ZX225.
Finishing second was the ever-consistent team of Eric and Dustin Blevins. They boxed 17.66 pounds of Bull Shoals bass by slinging rigs on steeper banks in the mid-lake area. The also noted the bite was tough, likely due to the fast rise in water levels. Dustin said they didn’t catch many shorts and only 7 keepers, but thankfully they were of the right size.
Coming in third place for the day was Ed Young and Joey Penzo. They boated a limit that pushed the scales to 13.76 pounds. Keeping with the trend of a tough bite, Ed shared they went through six keepers to get to their final weight. Lures of choice was also the umbrella rig, although they mixed in a shakey head as a compliment to the rig. Both baits were fished in the 20’ depth range to produce their bites.
The final event on Bull Shoals has been rescheduled for September 14th, 2019.
Photos
Results
| Place | Team Members | Fish | B/F | TotWgt | Pts | Payout | |
| 1 | Mark Thompson – Jim Smith | 5 | 4.59 | 19.28 | 110 | $1,770.00 | 1BB Top Skeeter |
| 2 | Dustin Blevins – Eric Blevins | 5 | 3.61 | 17.66 | 109 | $850.00 | |
| 3 | Ed Young – Joey Penzo | 5 | 3.8 | 13.76 | 108 | $380.00 | |
| 4 | John Campbell – Timmy Newberry | 3 | 4.4 | 12.09 | 107 | $180.00 | |
| 5 | Jim Martin – Ted Borchers | 4 | 4.54 | 11.24 | 106 | $90.00 | 2BB |
| 6 | Don Parkin – Rodney Shockey | 5 | 2.47 | 10.95 | 105 | ||
| 7 | Drew Sagely – Taylor Surly | 3 | 3.81 | 8.78 | 104 | ||
| 8 | Larry Hurtt – Chris Adams | 5 | 2.26 | 8.67 | 103 | ||
| 9 | Roger Harp – Kevin Hyde | 2 | 3.64 | 6.52 | 102 | ||
| 10 | *Marty Whisnant – Donald Bovat | 2 | 3.68 | 6.06 | 101 | ||
| 11 | Matt Layman – Randy Colter | 2 | 3.24 | 5.41 | 100 | ||
| 12 | Tom Mason – Chris Reese | 2 | 4.04 | 99 | |||
| 13 | Matt Garrett – Kaleb Rook | 1 | 2.25 | 2.25 | 98 | ||
| 14 | Casey Brotherton – *Charlie Whisnant | 0 | 10 | ||||
| *fished aalone – David Rogers | 0 | 10 | |||||
| Gary Daniel – Jay Oliver | 0 | 10 | |||||
| Jacob Garrett – Kem Wallace | 0 | 10 | |||||
| Kelly Jones – Roger Satterfield | 0 | 10 | |||||
| Darrin King – Mark Mahaffe | 0 | 10 | |||||
| Bruce Klatt – Ron Beard | 0 | 10 | |||||
| Roger Morris – Gregg Sapp | 0 | 10 | |||||
| Landon Snelson – Ricky Jones | 0 | 10 |
*alternate