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2009 Season Champions Richard
Delagrange and
John Linton
U.S. Angler’s Choice
Region 3 Tournament of Champions was held March 2nd thru the 5th on
one of the best bass fisheries in the world Lake Guntersville. At full
pool Lake Guntersville stretches 75 miles from Nickajack Dam to
Guntersville Dam, covers 69,100 surface acres and boasts 900 miles of
beautiful shoreline. This would be the stage in which 184 teams
would compete, all looking for that winning pattern or area that would lend
enough weight to take home one of three Legend Boats rigged with
Mercury Outboards.
The event was hosted by Jackson County Tourism and official lodging
sites for the event were the Comfort Inn and Comfort Inn and Suites in
Scottsboro, Alabama. Scottsboro offered teams and families plenty of
entertainment while not on the water and some fantastic places to
dine. The people living in the Scottsboro community are some of the
friendliest you will find anywhere in the country.
Teams
gathered Wednesday for a first class banquet followed up with a short
meeting held at the Scottsboro Goose Pond Civic Center. Southern
hospitality was in full force as teams were treated to a fantastic
dinner consisting of Southern fried chicken, Pork Chops, country green
beans, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, hot rolls and plenty of
deserts to top it off.
Following the dinner of and for champions a brief review of the water
and event specific rules were covered. Teams were officially welcomed
to the community and lake by J.P. Parsons from Jackson County Tourism
and the Mayor of Scottsboro Melton Potter. Legend Boats representative
Wayne Diederichs congratulated the attendees on their qualification and
welcomed everyone in attendance and letting them know demo rides would
be available daily. The evening was then finalized by
recognizing each of the divisional anglers of the year teams and
awarding plaques for their accomplishments.
 The
average high temperature during the first week of March for Scottsboro
Alabama is 62 degrees however Mother Nature failed to realize this and
on the first day of official practice a two inch covering of snow
blanketed the area and temps struggled to get above forty degrees.
Water temps were reported to range from 39 to 45 degrees and had many
teams scrambling to figure out what the fish were doing and most were
reporting a very tough bite.
As teams woke on the first day of competition they found a brisk
morning before them with take off temperatures around 28 degrees but
the day would
warm up into the mid forties. The weigh-in started at 3pm and it
wouldn't take long to realize why AC Teams have the reputation of
being the best local level anglers in the region. With little
knowledge on Guntersville these teams would weigh-in bags equivalent
to those weighed in at local Scottsboro events in these tough
conditions!
When the scales closed after day one the North Indiana team of
Richard Delagrange and John Linton found themselves on top the leader board with
a five fish limit that saw the scales reach 26.97lbs but there was no
breathing room as just over a pound separated the top six teams.
Day two saw the same early morning conditions as day one but temps
would climb up to near 60 on this day. That being said the high
bluebird skies gave teams something they hadn't seen in practice and
many would have to make adjustments on this day to stay on top, or make a move up the leader board. Day two would see
overall lower weights and there would be changes in the top standings.
Minutes after the last bag was weighed the results were in. The
North Indiana division team of Richard Delagrange and John Linton would
hang on to their day one lead and take the win to be crowned Region 3
Champions. The team fought through the tough conditions and brought heavy bags to the scales. On
day one they weighed in 26.97lbs and followed it up on day two with
22.95lbs giving them a two day total of 49.92lbs and the win. The team
reported having a tough practice but located one area the day prior to
competition that held quality fish.
On day one the team culled through 12 keeper fish using a Black & Blue
jig with a watermelon trailer fishing secondary points with grass in
water depths of 6 to 8 ft. This held true for day two also as they
culled through 10 keeper fish on their way to the win. For the win the team takes home a certificate
for a new Legend Alpha 199 with a Mercury 225 Opti Max.
2nd Place Greg Berner and Shannon Toigo
Coming in second place and
missing the win by just over a pound was the Choice Division Team of
Greg Berner and Shannon Toigo. On day one the team weighed a five fish limit of
24.30 lbs. and followed it up on day two with 24.01 lbs giving them a
two day total of 48.31lbs The team reported catching their fish on a
Lunker Lure Rattlin Shaky Head, Jigs and Traps in the mouth of creeks. The depth the team was fishing was
approximately 2 to 6 feet of water. The team is sponsored by Lunker
Lure, Zeigler Outdoors and Dunns Sporting Goods. For the second place position the
team wins a certificate for a new Legend LE 195 with a Mercury 200 Opti
Max.
3rd Place Jason Hodge and Lonnie Bowlin
Taking the third place
position was the Smithland Pool team of Jason Hodge and Lonnie Bowlin. They
brought 5 fish to the scales on day one weighing 25.79 lbs and
followed it up on day two with a limit weighing 20.13 lbs. giving them
a two day total of 45.92 lbs. The team fished grass in the 4 to 8 foot range
on the main lake and through spinner baits and rattle baits to boat
their fish. They are
sponsored by Hodge Tree Service, Zeigler Outdoors and Benton Flooring. The team
wins a certificate for a new Legend LE 186 with a Mercury 150 Opti Max
Tournament Notables:
867 fish were brought to the scales with a 100% live release. No lost
fish!
Total weight of all fish 3,042 lbs
Avg. size bass= 3.51 lbs
Day 1 big bag: Richard Delagrange and John Linton 26.97 lbs.
Day 2 big bag: Don Whitaker and Brian Whitaker 27.40 lbs.
Day 1 big bass: Jeff Gee and Steve Majewski 9.41 lbs.
Day 2 big bass: Justin Mosier and Keith Carroll 8.47 lbs.
This was an awesome event for all who attended! If you were unable to
fish this season or make it to the championship come join us in 2010!
Call 618-496-3610 for a trail near you. |
