Fog greeted the 31 teams participating in the second Joe Bass Team trail tournament at Mark Twain Lake, sponsored by 154 Marine. After a brief delay, the teams set out to find the right five bites to put them at the top of the Window World Leader Board. The lake was about 8 feet above normal pool, (606.00) with moderate discharge through Clarence Cannon Dam.
Taking the top spot today was the team of Dennis and Gary McFetridge. The two brothers pre-tournament game plan was to run to the lower end of the lake and try to capitalize on the early bite in clearer water. However, the team decided on making a short run, due to the remaining fog. Dennis and Gary fished a variety of soft plastics, Senkos and Brush Hogs, around secondary points with grass. In addition to the soft plastics, the team relied on a shad-colored RC square billed crankbait, fished on the outside edge of the grass line. Gary reported that the better-quality bites came on the square bill. In the end Dennis and Gary’s five bass limit weighed in at 17.29 pounds. Included in their bag was the second big bass of the day weighing 5.09 pounds.
Finishing in the runner-up position was the father son team of Chad and Kurt Denningmann. Similar to the winners, Chad and Kurt started their day fishing in the mid-lake area, pitching Kmann’s K-sticks in spawning pockets looking for post-spawners leaving for the main lake. Later in the morning, the team moved to the lower end of the lake still throwing the K-sticks but also began throwing a crankbait to secondary points. Using a run and gun approach, the team hit as many points as the could the rest of the day, bringing a limit weighing 15.87 pounds to the scales. Chad also won the Skeeter incentive fishing out of his 2020 FXR 20.
Rounding out the top three was another father son team, David and Dustin Kampschroeder. David and Dustin fished a variety of baits throughout the day, Buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, and Brush hogs, with the better-quality fish coming on the spinnerbait and Brush hog. David and Dustin focused on secondary points to about halfway into spawning pockets. Their 15.72 pound limit put them in third.
Well, if you’re not going to catch a limit, catch a good one! That’s exactly what the father son team of Phil J and Phil M Zimmerman did! Fishing a shallow clay bank with grass Phil M pitched a weightless Senko into the shallow grass, and it was on! The fish made a couple good runs and then made its way int the net. Weighing 5.10 pounds Team Z claimed the NAPA Big Bass of the tournament.
31 teams, 13 limits, 109 fish weighed, 108 fish released.
Our next tournament at Mark Twain Lake, Sponsored by 154 Marine is Sunday June 30 6am take-off.
Host Lodging for Joe Bass at Mark Train is Country Inn Resort (573)267-3800
Photos
Results
| Place | Team Members | Fish | Pnlty | B/F | TotWgt | Pts | Payout |
| 1 | *Dennis McFetridge – Gary McFetridge | 5 | 5.09 | 17.29 | 220 | $2,100.00 | |
| 2 | Chad Denningmann – Kurt Denningmann | 5 | 0.5 | 4.27 | 15.87 | 219 | $1,240.00 |
| 3 | David Kampschroeder – Dustin Kampschroeder | 5 | 3.75 | 15.72 | 218 | $540.00 | |
| 4 | Dominic Perotti – Nick Perotti | 5 | 4.3 | 15.7 | 217 | $400.00 | |
| 5 | Charlie Kunkle – Keith Williams | 5 | 15.59 | 216 | $276.00 | ||
| 6 | *John Warner – Gary Martens | 5 | 4.56 | 15.03 | 215 | $180.00 | |
| 7 | Josh Gebhardt – Ross Lord | 5 | 4.8 | 13.81 | 214 | ||
| 8 | Tyler Hays – Matthew Paris | 5 | 3.61 | 12.62 | 213 | ||
| 9 | Lonnie Franklin – Bob Peneston | 5 | 3.94 | 12.29 | 212 | ||
| 10 | Alan Hoyt – John Summers | 4 | 5.02 | 12.2 | 211 | ||
| 11 | Scott Jackson – Todd Martens | 4 | 5.03 | 11.67 | 210 | ||
| 12 | Steve Weber – Sam Phillips | 5 | 11.49 | 209 | |||
| 13 | Brent Basler – Mike Smith 2 | 4 | 4.64 | 10.4 | 208 | ||
| 14 | Larry Rothwiel – Steve Smith | 5 | 10.28 | 207 | |||
| 15 | Preston Hartung – George Harrington | 4 | 10.14 | 206 | |||
| 16 | Donnie Palmatory – Logan Hughes | 5 | 9.89 | 205 | |||
| 17 | Ron Mellinger – Colton Mellinger | 4 | 4.46 | 9.52 | 204 | ||
| 18 | Steve Chiaurro – Richard Dannegger | 5 | 9.19 | 203 | |||
| 19 | Scott Taucher – Dave Becker | 4 | 9.13 | 202 | |||
| 20 | Jake Morrison – Richard Morrison | 3 | 3.64 | 8.84 | 201 | ||
| 21 | Wayne Werle – Jim Lomax | 3 | 3.91 | 8.3 | 200 | ||
| 22 | Phil J Zimmerman – Phil M Zimmerman | 2 | 5.1 | 6.86 | 199 | $190.00 | |
| 23 | Brad Dooley – *fished aalone | 3 | 5.49 | 198 | |||
| 24 | Jonathon Thomas – Jeff Novel | 3 | 5.47 | 197 | |||
| 25 | Zackery Andersen – Matthew Andersen | 2 | 5.17 | 196 | |||
| 26 | Eric Power – Blake Power | 2 | 5.13 | 195 | |||
| 27 | Todd Hessling – Robin Hessling | 2 | 4.62 | 194 | |||
| 28 | Ryan Beals – Wayne O’Halloran | 0 | 20 | ||||
| Doug Buhr – *Todd Sunfield | 0 | 20 | |||||
| Matt McCullough – *fished aalone | 0 | 20 | |||||
| Adam Morrison – Chris Phillips | 0 | 20 |
*alternate