Results-2008
April 10th Grand Lake Qualifier
Things are still normal for the Arkansas Bass team qualifiers.. Winds of up to 30 MPH and temperatures
in the mid 40's, April seemed more like February. Pre-fishing was treacherous to say the least.. With swells up
to 7 feet in height and lake levels seven and half feet above normal pool, Grand was yet again looking to
be another slump in an already turbulent qualifier season. Some teams say they saw snow on Sunday and others
say they were lucky to be alive after surviving the "Ocean". Three teams were able to stay afloat and capture the elusive Black Bass.. Team Dust/Clayton captured 3rd with a little over 4 lb's. They credit their success to jigs on the windward side of chain link fences of the kind citizens of Grand lakes back yards. Team Kitajima/Vaughan flourished into 2nd with an impressive 17 1/2 lb's. They fished the mid-lake area with igs in 5-10 feet in the back of creeks. Jerid Jones came out on top with a whopping weight nearing 22'lbs. Jones was ecstatic to say the least.. "With the lake 7 1/2 feet high I knew I was going to fish shallow andit just seemed to pan out really nicely for me." Jones credited his success to pitching jigs in buck brush inDrowning Creek. Thats all for this year! Stay tuned this summer and next fall to see how things pan out in the National Championships and other collegiate invitationals!
1.Jerid Jones...21lbs 13oz
2. Kazuki Kitijima and Calvin Vaughan...17lbs 2 oz
3. Henry Dust and Jared Clayton...4lbs 1oz
T6. Jay Berry Garrett Danks
T6. Bodie Drake and Sub: Chris Jackson
T6. Matt Graves and Taylor Denniston
T6. Turner Hall and Stephen Mouton
Big Bass: Jerid Jones 6lbs 3oz
March 28 and 29 Arkansas Tech Invitational (Lake Dardanelle)
We would like to congratulate Kazuki Kitijima and Calvin Vaughan on their strong second day performance on the Arkansas River. They had a second day weight of over twenty pounds which was good enough for Berkley's Big Bag award. With harsh weather pounding them all day and rough water being a concern these guys made the best of the worst and found their fish in shallow flats with jigs. You guys really represented Arkansas well!
March 9. Tenkiller Qualifier
1. Jerid Jones and Chris Jackson 4lbs 15 oz.
2. Matt Graves and Taylor Denniston 2lbs 4 oz.
T5. Tuner Hall and Stephen Mouton
T5. Russell Taylor and Ryan Toomer
T5. Bodie Drake and Jessie Gentry
T5. Kazuki Kitajima and Cavin Vaughan
T5. Henry Dust
Old man winter still had a nasty grip on things as only 5lb's won the Tenkiller qualifier. Angler's were greeted with a light dusting of snow during prefishing and saw water temperatures in the mid 40's. Team Jones and Jackson struggled in practice and fought trolling motor issues during the tournament, but managed to stick it out and come out on top. The baits of choice were a wiggle wart in the Burnt Cabin area and pitching a jig in the Pettit bay area. 2nd place was credited to team Graves and Denniston. They were able to capitalize on a extremely tough day as well and credit their success to the crankbait in the Burnt Cabin area.
Feb 23 and 24 University of Arkansas Invitational
Conditions were all but pleasant for the U of A's second annual tournament. Beaver Lake was the site for the first collegiate tournament of the 2008 season. SFA found fish and stayed on them both days to walk away with the victory, but Arkansas and Oklahoma battled it out till the last. Drury, from Springfield, Mo, had a great first day, but could not find anything on the second day. Weather conditions were cold to say the least, with ice on the trees in the northern half of the lake and temperatures hovering around the freezing mark.
Results
1. SFA- 22.11 lbs
2. University of Arkansas 18.31 lbs
3. University of Oklahoma 16.99 lbs
4. Drury University 13.30 lbs
5. University of Alabama at Birmingham 4.23 lbs
6. University of Tennessee at Martin 3.69 lbs
7. Western Kentucky University 1.86 lbs
8. University of Texas, Mississippi State University 0.00lbs
Big Bass- SFA 3.44lbs
Big Bag- SFA 13.00 lbs
Smallest Fish- University of Arkansas, Matt Graves, Taylor Denniston .79lbs
Feb 10. Beaver Qualifier
1.Kazuki Kitajima and Calvin Vaughan
T5. Chris Jackson and Jerid Jones
T5. Bodie Drake and Bill Bond
T5. Jared and Joel Blackburn
T5. Turner Hall and Stephen Mouton
T5. Matt Graves and Taylor Denniston
T5. Russell Taylor and Ryan Toomer
T5. Henry Dust and David Whitmire
Conditions proved to be tough as only one team brought in fish. With the water temperatures in the low 40's Kazuki and Calvin credit their success to the jerk bait. They stayed in the mid lake area and were able to grind all day to catch an impressive 12lb's.
September 23, Arkansas River (Fort Smith Park)
"Take me to the river, drop me in the water.." We all know how the song goes.. Team Drake/Bond
were singing that song as they cruised to victory in the second qualifier of the year. They brought in
an impressive 15.5 lb's. It was a welcome home party for Bodie, "I just love the river" states Drake.
They credit their success to a certain discharge pipe that provided back to back to back 3lb bass. In
second place was team Jones/Jackson with 10.12 lb's. And in 3rd was Graves/Denniston with 7.5 lb's.
1st place: Bodie Drake/ Bill Bond 15.5 lbs.
2nd place: Jerid Jones/ Chris Jackson 10.12 lbs.
3rd place: Matt Graves/ Taylor Denniston 7.5 lbs.
4th place: Turner Hall/ Stephen Mouton 5.11 lbs.
5th place: Russell Taylor/ Ryan Toomer 3.3 lbs.
Big Bass 4.8 lbs Drake/Bond
September 9th, Beaver Lake (Hickory Creek)
Beaver again proved to be tough as only 6.10 lb's won. Team Jones/Jackson won
the season opener and in a close second was team Taylor/Toomer. Although it wasn't
the greatest fishing it is still a big step in the race for the national championship.
1st - Jerid Jones/Chris Jackson 6.10 Lb’s
2nd- Russell Taylor/ Ryan Toomer 4.75Lb’s
3rd - Matt Graves/Taylor Denniston 3.65Lb’s
4th – Turner Hall/Stephen Mouton 1.1Lb’s
5th – Bodie Drake/Bill Bond .80Lb’s
6th – Henry Dust/Jared Clayton (Calvin Vaughan) .50Lb’s
Big Bass 2.6 lbs Chris Jackson
