FISHERS OF MEN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Steve Sink and Ladd Whicker Claim Victory at Guntersville Lake with Two-Day Record Catch of 41.55 lbs.

By Frank Evans, Jr.

10/28/2002 - Lake Guntersville, Scottsboro, AL… Said to be the fastest growing tournament trail in the country, the Fishers Of Men held its fifth annual National Championship, October 25 and 26, on Guntersville Lake, near Scottsboro, Alabama, extending this falls awards to over $190,000.00 in cash and prizes, through the four Regional Championships and this National Championship. Lake Guntersville stretches along the beautiful Tennessee River Valley for seventy-five miles, this magnificent impoundment contains 69,100 acres of superb bass fishing. The 15-inch size limit, along with an abundance of aquatic growth, milfoil and hydrilla, create a fishery that is nothing short of fantastic, on this, the largest body of water in Alabama.

This prestigious event kicked off on Thursday evening at Calvary Baptist Church, in Scottsboro, thanks to the graciousness of Dr.Gamble, his staff, and all the cheerful people who volunteered there time and effort in providing our delicious meal; and the grand facilities of their church. Thank you ever so much for hosting us.

After being treated to the illustrious music of Heaven’s Heart, of Sumter, SC, singing, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, the peoples’ hearts were prepared for this years featured speaker, current FLW®, Angler of the Year and 2002’s reigning BASSMASTERS Classic® World Champion, Jay Yelas, of Tyler, Texas. Jay, who also spoke at the first Fishers Of Men event in 1995, on Santee Cooper, delivered a humble testimony of how God has been working in and through his life. He expounded on our need, as Christians, to be faithful to Jesus, wherever He places us in this life, so that we might not appear as hypocrites to the world. His challenge to believers was both thought provoking and inspiring as each listened intently to his words. After walking us down the “Romans Road” to salvation and inviting those in need to come to God, twelve people responded with first-time professions of faith and numerous individuals recommitted their lives to Christ. The statement Jay made that touched me the most, Thursday night, was, “I can’t imagine life, without Jesus.” The way he expressed it truly reveals a man who has experienced a special touch from the Master. I thank God for raising up a man like Jay Yelas, who is not ashamed of the gospel and is bold enough to say so, wherever he travels. Nearing the end of the service, Jay’s beautiful daughters, Hannah and Bethany, came up and sang, “God Bless America”, stirring every heart to rise to their feet in silent prayer for God’s protection during these uncertain times. We wish to thank God for the outpouring of His Spirit on this night and the 614 souls who were saved through the Fishers Of Men this season across America.

Early Friday morning greeted the anglers and us with a steady rain and a slightly chilly breeze as each competitor pulled onto the staging area for the routine boat checks. The rain stopped by the time everyone was in the water and all the enthusiastic teams readied themselves for the blast-off and a day on the water in search of a limit of Guntersville’s lunker bass. After Al gave the blessing, one specialized, glimmering craft after another, in a steady procession, eased past the official’s boat then roared off to their carefully selected fishing areas, with the thoughts and hopes of winning the 2002 Fishers Of Men National Championship title.

The early morning cloud cover gave way to spotted sunshine and light winds, out of the northeast, as the day progressed. This proved to be an advantage for some anglers who were fishing the edges of the grass mats, where baitfishes were congregating along the main river channel. Other patterns also developed for anglers who were fishing tributaries and the back ends of creeks in shallow water After all teams weighed in, Steve Body, of Gadsden, AL, and Lynn Johnson, of Attalla, AL, were leading the event with 18.61lbs., that included a huge 5,80 lbs. kicker fish. Second place belonged to, Jeremy Ethridge and Scott McGuire, with an 18.10.lbs. limit. Standing in third place were, Steve Sink and Ladd Whicker, hailing from Winston-Salem NC, with a five fish limit weighing in at 18.03. In fourth place were, Neal Watson, from Martin GA, and Troy Morrow, of Toccoa, GA, with five fish weighing, 17.88. One of these was another beautiful Guntersville lunker, weighing 6.20, which was the third big fish of the day. The fifth place position was anchored by; Tim Beale and Lance Walker from the North Mississippi Div., with five fish weighing 17.31, including one at 5.28. Eighty-five teams caught fish on the first day. Overall 281 fish, weighing 753.63 lbs., passed over the scales, for an amazing 2.67 lbs. per fish average. The big fish of the entire tournament was an incredible, deep green largemouth weighing, 7.62lbs., caught by the team of, James Marshall and Doug Gray, from the NC Peidmont Division.

At the Friday night meeting at Calvary Baptist, we again enjoyed an evening of fun and the charming music and testimonies of Heaven’s Heart. Nearly one hundred quality door prizes were also given to the competitors.

Five o’clock came early on Saturday morning as the competing teams pulled into Goose Pond Colony for boat checks. I noticed that all anglers were very pleasant and polite on this, the second day. I want to commend all competitors for the sportsmanship and courtesy they displayed this past week. Anticipation was still high, as everyone knew that in Lake Guntersville, you could catch a thirty-pound stringer within a short time, when you are in the right place. The weather Saturday was very pleasant with solid, light gray cloud cover, no wind, and temperatures rising from the upper-fifties to the high sixties during the day. By the end of the day 191 fish crossed over the scales, weighing, 515.06lbs., for another astounding per fish average of 2.70 pounds. From Northern Indiana, Paul Cook and Don Kimmel brought in the $500.00 big fish of Day 2, weighing, 5.98lbs. Don said that they were fishing near a dock over grass, when the big fish blew up on his rat lure, however he failed to connect. Paul then, immediately threw his Pro Model Scum Frog™ to the site and hooked and landed the prize fish. Congratulation guys, the money should help defray the cost of traveling from North. Indiana.

The first place position changed several times as team after team brought good bags of fish to the scales. However, in the end, Ladd Whicker and Steve Sink brought their record setting catch to the stage. Al heaved the heavy contents into the basket and placed on the lid. A hush came over the crowd as the scales were trying to settle down, then Al made the call, “23.52, looks like we have some new leaders!” With the previous day’s catch of 18.03, the 2-day total of 41.55 vaulted them into first place, where the rest of the competitors could not catch them. Their two limits averaged out to an impressive 4.16 lbs. each and their total weight bested second place by more than five pounds. The new champions stated that they had been using Snag Proof Frogs™ in the milfoil beds near mid-lake. Positioning their boat in five or six feet of water, they would cast their frogs to about 2 to 3 feet of water, where they found their fish. They contributed their success to a falling water pattern that turned on the huge bass that they had located. For the first place finish the new Fishers Of Men National Champions received a fully rigged 2003 TR-20 Triton, powered by a 200hp Mercury. Day 1 leaders, Steve Body and Lynn Johnson, brought an additional 17.69lbs limit to finish in 2nd place with a 2 day total of, 36.30. The eastern Alabama boys reported catching their fish on, True Life™ buzz baits and True Life jigs with black Prowler™ chunk trailers. They caught 11 fish the first day and about eight on the second. They made the long trek to the extreme south end of the lake to fish Big Spring Creek and Brown Creek. They used the #8 Kistler® Helium rod spooled with 60# Spiderwire™ to throw buzz baits (on the first day, with the windy conditions), jigs, and a white Snag Proof™ rat into 3 ft of water with sandy bottoms and patchy milfoil. Some fish came in submerged grass with one foot of water over it. Neal Watson and Troy Morrow moved up to 3rd place with another limit, tipping the scales at, 16.81, bringing their two-day total to, 34.69lbs. They said that they worked two specific areas within sight of the launch ramp. Using flipping sticks with 30# Fusion™ and 20# Fireline™, they cast black Sumo frogs™ onto the thick matted milfoil, where, when they would get a hookup, they would crank up the big engine and go after the fish. Moving up from the 8th position and capturing 4th place were, Jim (Decatur, AL) and Jonathan (Jasper, AL) Barnett with four fish, weighing 16.56lbs. Their two-day total jumped to 32.42lbs. They too, fished the matted grass using a modified black Snag Proof™ frog. By clipping the legs off, Jonathan and Jim placed glass rattles into the remaining portions. They concentrated their efforts in main lake pockets and on points near Brown Creek and said the bite seemed better with the wind. They also reported success using one ounce blk/blu Tight Line™ jigs on flipping sticks spooled with 20# Easy Cast Stren™. Rounding out the top five finishers and holding that position from day one were Tim Beale and Lance Walker, out of the North Mississippi division. They added 15.99lbs. to their previous day’s, 15.86, to end up with 30.51lbs. Over the two day event, 472 fish, weighing 1265.69 lbs. were caught and released. We thank Brad Yates at the Goose Pond Colony Marina for being so helpful. His number is, 256-574-1083, give him a call when planning a trip to this paradise in Northern Alabama.

We wish to thank all our anglers for making the 2002 season an enormous success and look forward to next year as God continues to bless His work through the Fishers Of Men and its participants and sponsors. We also want to thank Rick Rhoden, executive director of the Scottsboro Chamber of Commerce, Dr. Gamble and Calvary Baptist Church and the volunteers who helped make this the best National Championship ever. I want to express our gratefulness and we need to support, along with all Christians everywhere, who read this; the sponsors God uses to make this ministry possible. National Sponsors: Triton Boats, Spike-It Baits, Mercury Outboards, Cabela's, Team Coverlay, Jones Chevrolet, Strike King, KeepAlive OXYGEN INFUSOR, BG Wakerunner, Snyder Packaging, MAD MAN, Marshall's Marine, Stanley Jigs, DEKA Batteries, LifeWay, Fish Formula, Ledgebuster, Kistler Custom Rods, LuckyCraft, Lowrance, Pro Locker, BassRX, Jacobs Glass, Dual Pro Chargers, and Doyle Hodgin Sports.

This National Championship and article is dedicated to the memory of our beloved brother Doug Quatriochii, who went to be with the LORD on October 18th. Doug was a special person who was an encouragement to all who were around him. He lived life to the fullest and being around him was a joy. All who knows him will sadly miss him. Heaven’s gain is our loss. One day we shall meet again. Thank you.

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