By Staff
Nov. 2, 2001
The veteran team of Wayman Newell and Chris Stokes caught a five-fish limit of bass weighing 13 1/2 pounds, which was good enough for first place last Saturday in the Bass Anglers Tournament Trail tourney at Gainesville Lake. First place was worth a cool $1,000.
Although most of the anglers battled a cold and windy morning, none were more successful than this duo. After a long, cold, run up the river, they started fishing and caught a couple of fish right off the bat. From there, things got tough, however. Since Gainesville is one of their favorite places to fish, they usually have confidence in fishing the lake.
On this day, it took not only confidence but also determination and a commitment to their game plan. By sticking with it and keeping their baits in the water they were able to catch a few fish all along. According to Newell, they caught enough non-keepers to keep things interesting.
The Big One
Finally, sometime between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Chris tied on and cast out a secret crankbait. It didn't take long before he hooked up with a mean river bass that put up some kind of fight while jumping several times. With its mouth full of treble hooks, and no net on board, it was all Stokes and Newell could do to get the big fish in the boat. Newell said that he had never seen a lure like Stokes' mystery crankbait, but it sure paid off with a 5.96-pound bass that was worth $300 in prize money.
Although they caught the big fish before lunch, they didn't catch their fifth keeper until 1:30, just before they had to weigh in.
After fishing together for 10 years, this winning team knows what it takes to go after and catch the big ones as evidenced by several wins over the years.
Second place went to the team of John Mason and Charles Wilson with four fish that weighed 11.3 pounds. Third was awarded to the team of David Everett and Tim Lindley with five fish weighing 10.59 pounds. Fourth place went to Mike Holloman and Billy Sollie with 10.39 pounds. In fifth place was Jerry Stewart and Jackie Penny. The remaining money winners were as follows:
6th: Ray Joyner, Chester Roberts.
7th: Tommy Hudnall, Jack Gordman
8th: Ricky Smith, Willie Johnston
9th: Fred Schoenrock, Jimmy Williams
Angling Team of the Year Race
The angling team of the year race is a literal who's who of some of the best teams competing in this area today. Ricky Smith and Willie Johnston currently hold first place with 287 points. The team of Newell and Stokes is right on their heels with 282 points. Following close behind, and tied for third, are the teams of Robbie Miles and Billy Morgan, and Charles Wilson and John Mason with 279 points. Rounding out the top five is the team of Bruce Roberts and Joel Cumberland with 277 points.