Thursday, March 29, 2007
Regional rivalry
By Scott Cooley
Bassmaster.com Exclusive — Dec. 3, 2005
When it comes to state and regional rivalry, it gets about as thick as the press gathering on the front porch of the Terrell Owens' residence. In the fishing world, the questions always abound as to which state has the best venues and fisheries, from which region do the best bass anglers emerge from and where are the "BIG ONES" caught.
Yes, it is always bigger in Texas, better in California, and sunnier in Florida but which region will prevail at this week's 2005 CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship in Prattville, Alabama?
The competitors have qualified by finishing in the Top 25 in points standings from either the Central, Northern, Western or Southern Opens. There are 25 anglers from each division excluding the Southern division, which has 15 anglers and they are all vying for one of the last five spots into the 2006 CITGO Bassmaster Classic.
So we've devised a thoroughly un-scientific way to determine which region may have the best anglers?
During the course of the event, this race will be determined by the top five competitiors in each of the respective divisions. The competition will run through Sunday even though there is a chance some regions won't be represented in the final days of competition. But at the end of the event, the region with the most weight will deserve, even for only a week, the designation of having the best anglers in the world.
Stay tuned. This event may have more to decide than just five Bassmaster Classic spots.
The current regional wrap-up:
Day Three
Central
Mike McClelland 39-1
Chad Brauer 34-15
Matt Reed 27-9
Steve Kennedy 22-3
Doug Garrett 16-1
Total Weight: 139 pounds 13 ounces
Southern
Mark Menendez 27-9
Randy Howell 28-4
John Pollard 19-12
Mark Rizk 17-3
Thomas O'Bryant 16-4
Total Weight: 109 pounds 1 ounce
Northern
Rick Morris 36-8
Jon Bondy 19-0
Jami Norman 11-8
Frank Scalish 11-5
Steven Clapper 9-12
Total Weight: 88 pounds 1 ounce
Western
John Murray 25-8
Ricky Shabazz 15-6
Mick Karshner 14-10
Ron Colby 11-5
Chad Martin 10-0
Total Weight: 76 pounds 13 ounces
Day Two
Central
Mike McClelland 29-0
Chad Brauer 23-6
Matt Reed 21-15
Steve Kennedy 20-7
Doug Garrett 16-1
Total Weight: 110 pounds 13 ounces
Southern
Mark Menendez 21-1
Randy Howell 18-13
John Pollard 17-6
Mark Rizk 17-3
Thomas O'Bryant 16-4
Total Weight: 90 pounds 12 ounces
Northern
Rick Morris 26-9
Jon Bondy 18-5
Jami Norman 11-8
Frank Scalish 11-5
Steven Clapper 9-12
Total Weight: 77 pounds 7 ounces
Western
John Murray 23-14
Ricky Shabazz 15-6
Mick Karshner 14-10
Ron Colby 11-5
Chad Martin 10-0
Total Weight: 75 pounds 3 ounces
Day One
If you were grading this like a track meet, the Central Open anglers in the CITGO Bassmaster Open Championship have taken a commanding lead in the completely un-official, totally-unscientific scoring system to determine which region of the country has the best bass anglers.
The Central Open anglers are more than 16 pounds ahead of the Northern anglers and that's largely because Mike McClelland, Matt Reed and Doug Garrett occupy the top three spots in the tournament. The rest of the regions, however, are in a neck-and-neck race. Less than 6 pounds separate the three regions and judging by reports from the competition, anything can, and probably will, happen on day two.
Central
Mike McClelland 17-12
Matt Reed 14-12
Doug Garrett 13-3
Steve Kennedy 10-0
David Wharton 9-10
Total Weight: 64 pounds 11 ounces
Northern
Rick Morris 12-0
Jon Bondy 12-0
Dave Smith 9-12
Lawren Wetzel 8-0
Shinichi Fukae 6-14
Total Weight: 48 pounds 10 ounces
Southern
Terry Scroggins 10-4
Mark Rizk 9-11
Larry Jones 8-1
John Pollard 7-15
Mark Menendez 7-15
Total Weight: 43 pounds 14 ounces
Western
John Murray 12-7
Ricky Shabazz 10-1
Ron Colby 9-12
Mick Karshner 6-9
Chad Martin 4-1
Total Weight: 42 pounds 14 ounces
