Cowboy Church Bass Club 2010 recap

The Top Ten Tournament - October 9, 2010 8:30 am - 1:00 pm

Congratulations to James Croney and James Cook. Their 5 bass sack weighed 15.17 pounds (it included 1 crappie). Flukes, traps, and swimbaits were the baits used to catch the winning fish. James and James do not normally fish together as a team, but a rule in this tournament is all teams must have 2 anglers in the boat. James and James were both lacking a partner, so Reggie paired them together.

SPECIAL RULES

* No culling. If a bass goes into the livewell, it stays in the livewell.
* 5 bass limit - no length limit.
* 1 crappie can be weighed-in with the stringer.
* A grinnell (sometimes called a bowfin) will add 1 pound of weight to the team stringer. Only 1 per team.
* Gas outboard motors can not be used on the lake.

* Only the top ten teams or their alternates down the list are eligible to fish in this tournament.

* All teams will be 2 man team. Every seat will be filled.

* Life jackets had to be worn 100% of the time while on the lake.

THE LAKE and CONDITIONS

The lake is a 160 acre private lake near Athens. It had two feeder creeks and a good working boat ramp. The maximum depth was only about 13 ft. There was plenty of underwater brush piles and lily pads. Cattails surrounded the entire lake. The water was clear but it had that east Texas dark tannin color to it. In places where the lake was calm, millions of little white flying bugs covered the surface of the water and were being eaten by the shad and minnows.

It was dead calm most of the morning but toward the end of the tournament a little breeze started to blow out of the SW. The air temp was 52 at the Gander Mt. parking lot at 6:00 am. On the lake, it warmed up to 64 by 8:30 am and was 82 at the 1:00 pm weigh-in. The barometric pressure started out at 30.12, rose to 30.13, then fell to 30.10. The water temp was 68. There was no moon the night before. The fishing was very slow compared to Reggie's scouting report. The high pressure system over Texas may have turned the bite off.

THE RESULTS

10 teams fished
2 bass limits were caught (a limit is 5 fish)

2 teams caught a grinnell

3 teams caught a crappie
No team zeroed.
37 bass and 3 crappie were weighed in with a weight of 84.27 pounds.
2.10 pounds was the average fish weight.

1st: James Croney / James Cook.................15.17 (included crappie weight) Prize: HSH Smokehouse salts
2nd: Ben Griffin / Steve Reynolds................12.89 (included 1 pound for a grinnell) Big bass (3.73-lb) Prize: Ata-boy!
3rd: Mike Thurman / Joe Lee.......................10.43 (included crappie weight)
4th: Joe Crouch / Michael Walden..................8.71
5th: Kevin Davis / Byron McFarland..............8.67
6th: Jim Love / Tracy Derrick.........................8.55
7th: Herman Martin / Charles Martin............7.40
8th: Jimmy Redmon / Jim Redmon.................7.02
9th: George Walker / Brandon Wooddell.......4.58 (included 1 pound for a grinnell)
10th: Doyle Ray / Noah Ray...........................2.85

Pictures:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Top%20Ten%20-%202010%2010%2009/?albumview=slideshow

THE SETUP

The club met at the Corsicana Gander Mountain parking lot. At 6:05 am the guys made a 52 mile drive to the private ranch/camp near Athens. It was a single file caravan of pickup trucks and bass boats driving through the countryside. Once the club arrived at the private ranch our off road driving skills kick in. The long road to the lake was full of pot holes and craters that could swallow a entire trailer wheel past the top of the finder. We arrived at the boat ramp around 7:30 am.

Scott Mohone's Boy Scout Troop 234 (from Waxahachie, TX) took over from there. The Boy Scouts guided the drivers to parking spots, bleached the trailers and the bottom of the boats to kill any invasive plans, and served breakfast. Just before the start of the tournament the Boy Scouts performed a flag ceremony with the pledge of allegiance, Boy Scout oath, and Boy Scout law. Reggie then led a pray and we were out on the lake fishing by 8:30 am.

At 1:00 pm we weighed in under the pavilion and the Boy Scouts served lunch......all you could eat hamburgers, chips, cherry cobbler, and ice tea.

After lunch, the club took the Boy Scouts out on the lake for few hours of fishing.

SCATTER SHOOTING

A few teams spotted alligators on the lake, most of us saw the alligator traps/lines baited with chicken..........All the teams were on time at the meeting place. Reggie was the last to arrive (about 2 minutes late)............There was a big natural floating island that was made of some kind of bog grass out in the middle of the lake. Since none of us had ever fished the lake before, we didn't know that the island was floating. Several teams used it as a reference point to mark their location but when the wind picked up the island moved. Some got confused or thought their marker buoys broke free and drifted off...........Ben Griffin caught the big bass of the tournament. He won an Ata-boy! from Reggie.........Mike Thurman & Joe Lee caught their bass on Little George's, swimbaits, and ring fry's. They also caught about 10 crappie........Joe Crouch & Michael Walden caught their fish on Texas rigs, shaky heads, spoon bill rebel plugs, and paddle tail worms...................Kevin Davis & Byron McFarland caught their fish on swimbaits and electric chicken colored plastic baits......Jim Love & Tracy Derrick caught their bass on cranks, flukes, worms, & brush hogs.......................Herman Martin & Charles Martin caught their bass on crankbaits and senkos....................Jimmy Redmon & Jim Redmon caught their bass on flukes and cranks............George Walker & Brandon Wooddell caught 2 grinnell on tube baits..........Doyle Ray & Noah Ray caught their bass on speed craws..........All the teams actually caught a limit, but the "NO CULL" rule scared some of the teams into throwing back the smaller bass. Teams didn't want to catch a big bass after their livewell already had 5 in it............The first place prize was a set of BBQ rub http://smokehousesalt.com/store/Smoked_Salt.html donated by Brent Edwards.........Several teams had dead batteries by the end of the tournament......Joe Lee caught a couple of nice bass in the pond located on the side of the road when he was driving out of the ranch.

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Reggie lead a short devotional. He reflected on his time at a retreat in Colorado a couple of weeks ago. He was away from most people, no phones, no internet, and no TVs to distract him. He pointed out that yes, it's good being outdoors with God, but we as humans also need fellowship with our brothers in church.

He was very proud of the men that attend worship and don't just drop their wife off at the door. He also reminded us that we should be praying for what we need, not what we want.

The Classic on Lake Winnsboro - September 25, 2010   6:00 am - 3:30 pm

Two in a row! Congratulations to George Walker and Brandon Wooddell. The Vilbig boys win the classic again and this year set a new club record with a weight of 18.57 pounds. It was still dark when they picked a random spot on the east bank. Right off the bat Brandon and George both hooked on to big fish. With 2 hogs hooked up at the same time, neither Brandon or George could net each other's fish, so they ended up lipping both fish into the boat. They caught their 5 fish sack on flukes, jigs, rattle traps, and crankbaits. $1,000.00 was the 1st place payout.

Anglers of the year, Mike Thurman and Joe Lee took 2nd place and $500.00 cash. Their 5 fish sack was just 1.22 pounds shy Brandon's and George's record weight. Joe thought he had an idea about what lake was going to be chosen and pre-fished several area lakes in anticipation that one of his lakes would be picked as the classic lake (he picked the wrong ones). Joe even drove out to Lake Winnsboro, talked to the locals, and scouted the lake from his truck hoping to gain some knowledge of what the lake was like. Joe and Mike caught their 17.35 pound limit on white crankbaits and chatter baits. Congratulation Joe and Mike!
The big bass was caught by Chad Alton. It weighed 6.32 pound but was DOA. Even with a .50 penalty, they still had the big bass of the tournament and took home $200.00. The bass was caught at the start of the tournament on GrandeBass plastic worm.

LAKE CONDITIONS

Location on Big Sandy Creek, a tributary of the Sabine River, in Wood County 5 miles southwest of Winnsboro, Lake Winnsboro is only 806 acres and has a maximum depth of 23 feet. It was impounded in 1962 and was about 3 foot low.   The winds were mostly light out of the northwest. A slow moving rain storm showed up about an hour after the tournament started and dumped buckets of rain on the anglers until about noon. The air temp was around 73 and the water temp was 82. There was almost a full harvest moon the night before. The barometric pressure was flat at 30.06 until noon. It fell to 30.01 by the end of the tournament. We launched at the CR 4890 ramp next to the dam. Lake Store Marina was very accommodating. They open at 5 am, had really good food. The all you can eat catfish buffet was especially good! Five bass limits were easy to obtain and some anglers reported catching 30 - 50 fish. Most teams caught a bass in the 4 pound + range.

THE RESULTS

22 teams fished
19 limits were caught (a limit is 5 fish, 14 inches or greater)
1 teams zeroed.
102 fish were weighed in with a weight of 266.04 pounds.
2.64 pounds was the average fish weight.

$1,100 in entry fees were collected and $2,200.00 was paid out.

Big Bass: Chad Alton...................................5.82-lb $200.00

1st place team: George Walker / Brandon Wooddell................18.57-lb     $1,000.00
2nd place team: Mike Thurman / Joe Lee.................................17.35-lb        $500.00
3rd place team: Bill Nowlin / Jerry Patterson............................14.22-lb        $250.00
4th place team: Charlie David / Donna David............................13.85-lb       $150.00
5th place team: Ron Edwards / Brent Edwards.........................13.77-lb       $100.00

Pictures:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Winnsboro%202010%2009%2025%20The%20Classic/?albumview=slideshow

SCATTER SHOOTING

Reggie caught his big fish early next to the fishing barge.........5th place team Ron & Brent Edwards caught their fish on plum colored power worms........4th place team Charlie and Donna David caught their bass cranking and flipping........James Croney showed off his trailer backing skills to the club........Al Kohutek and Jon Griffin broke their 2 year streak of winning 2nd place in the Classic. They placed but it was last place with 9.52 pounds (the only team to weigh-in under 10 pounds)...............Joe Crouch was relaxing somewhere on a tropical beach.......There were a lot of stumps in the lake and one of them took a bite out of George's boat.......Ben Griffin and Steve Reynolds had motor problems. They caught an impressive 13.44 pounds around the boat ramp........The rain flooded Al's camera and he had to use Reggie's cell phone to take the pictures.........No one was allowed to practice on the lake before the tournament and just about everyone was pleased with the lake choice......33 teams qualified to fish in the Classic this year.......5 fish were DOA. Even with the penalties, none of the dead fish caused anyone to be bumped out of the money.

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Herman Martin shared his personal testimony with the club. This lake was special to him because it was about 7 years ago that he spent time locked up in the TDC at Winnsboro. His shared his story and about his life in the past and has been sober now for 7 years. He said he could not have stayed sober without the help of the Lord.

CLOSING PRAYER

Lead by Ron Edwards.

Richland Chambers - August 28, 2010      6:00 am to 1:30 pm

Congratulations to Mike Thurman and Joe Lee! Mike Thurman caught the big bass weighing in at 7.31 pounds and they had the top team weight with 13.22 pounds. Their winning stringer was caught mid-lake fishing shallow to 12-ft of water.   The first fish of the day was a 3.5 pounder and was caught at 6:30 am on a dock using an 11-inch worm. Their big bass was caught on a H2O crank bait at 8 am and was their limit fish. Most of their bass were caught on points. They took home $620.00 cash.

2010 Anglers of the year - Mike Thurman and Joe Lee had only a 6-oz lead going into the last points tournament of the year......after Richland Chambers they had almost a 10 pounds lead and now hold the club record for the highest total points ever accumulated at the end of the season. Mike and Joe fished in the money three times this year with two 1st place wins at Palestine & Richland Chambers, and 4th place win at Belton. Congratulations again to Mike and Joe!

Picture of the 2010 Anglers of the Year with their winning Richland Chambers stringer:
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Richland%20Chambers%202010%2008%2028/IMG_1455.jpg

LAKE CONDITIONS

It was a very nice day to be on the lake. Clear skies, very calm water with a slight breeze out of the north later shifting to the south. The lake was full and the water was clear. At 6:00 am the air temp was 70 and at 1:30 pm it climbed to 93. The water temp was around 85 - 87. The barometric pressure was 29.83 to 29.82. The moon was almost full the night before. There was not too many pleasure boaters out on the lake. We launched out of Oak Cove Marina and some of the teams got hung up paying the launch fee at the store. The ramp was great and we had a perfect spot for the weigh-in and devotional under the cool shade trees. There was plenty of docking spots for our boats and ample parking for our trucks and trailers.


THE RESULTS

31 teams fished.
7 limits were caught (a limit is 3 fish 14 inches or greater)
7 teams zeroed.
46 fish were weighed in with a weight of 123.18 pounds.
2.67 pounds was the average fish weight

20% given to the church........$310.00
10% given to the club............$155.00
10% big bass........................$155.00
$840.00 balance divided.....................first 50%, second 30%, third 10%, forth 5%, & fifth 5%

Big Bass: Mike Thurman...................................6.21-lb    $155.00

1st place team: Joe Lee / Mike Thurman...................13.22-lb   $465.00
2nd place team: Darren Coslin / Bud Benner.............11.07-lb   $279.00
3rd place team: Ben Griffin / Steve Reynolds.............10.79-lb    $93.00
4th place team: Kevin Davis / Byron McFarland..........7.42-lb    $46.50
5th place team: Reggie Stewart / Casey Smith..............7.28-lb $46.50

Slide Show:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Richland%20Chambers%202010%2008%2028/?albumview=slideshow

SCATTER SHOOTING

Second place team, Darren Coslin and Bud Benner boated their bass on shaky heads rigged with watermelon red worms........Ben Griffin and Steve Reynolds finished 2nd in overall points for the year. They also took 3rd place team throwing watermelon and green pumpkin worms......4th place team, Kevin Davis and Byron McFarland did very good throwing watermelon seed Texas rigged worms.........5th place team, Reggie Stewart and Casey Smith caught 2 nice fish under the bridge on a Carolina-rig with red worms. Reggie's big bass weighed 4.68 pound, at first he thought it was a catfish and was disappointed, until it was next to the boat and he could see it was a bass..........Al Kohutek had just the opposite experience as Reggie. He thought he had a nice bass on, but it turned out to be a 6-lb yellow cat.............Herman Martin and Charles Martin managed to catch a legal bass with no outboard motor and no trolling motor. The batteries were totally dead when the tournament started.............Doyle & Noah Ray had 2 dead bass. It cost them a check and bumped them out of 2nd in the point standings..........This was the last points tournament of the season. There was not a single team that caught a limit in every tournament this year.

TOP TEN - POINTS LEADERS

These teams are eligible to fish the Top Ten tournament. It will be held on a private lake near Athens on October 9th. No entry fee is required and prizes will be awarded.

1) Mike Thurman / Joe Lee...............................56.02 Anglers of the Year
2) Ben Griffin / Steve Reynolds..........................46.15
3) George Walker / Brandon Wooddell.............45.79
4) Doyle Ray / Noah Ray..................................45.24
5) James Cook / Dillon Cook............................41.97
6) James Croney...............................................41.70
7) Brian Barfield / Kyle Barfield.........................40.95
8) Kevin Davis / Byron McFarland....................40.42
9) Charlie David / Donna David.........................39.27
10) Herman Martin / Charles Martin..................38.96

If you are in the Top Ten, let Reggie know if you are fishing. Substitutes will come from the next inline according to points.
There will be no 1 person teams.......a full field of 20 anglers will be competing.

LAKESIDE DEVOTIONAL

Jim Redmon shared his personal testimony with the Bass Club.

His story began with a description of his life before being saved by Jesus on January 27, 2007.   Divorced 5 times, 5 jobs, 5 sets of kids, 5 trucks........he painted a picture for us of a rough and mostly unhappy life that seemed to cycle every 7 years.   Jim said he tried to do everything on his own, relied on no one, and made it a point to avoid anything to do with church. The rough life was wearing him down......so much so that he could only see one way to break the cycle, and that was to end his life right after his mother died.

In 2006 Jim's mother started getting sick. She lived in Memphis, Tennessee and Jim made several trips to the hospital there. Every time that the doctors said she was going to die, he made the long drive to see her, but each time she miraculously pulled through her illness and got better. On every trip to Memphis, Jim did not expect to return back to Texas.

After one of the Memphis trips, Jim got a call from his daughter. She wanted to see him and somehow was able to convince him to make the drive to Orange, Texas. He was not looking forward to the visit because he knew that his daughter would try and get him to attend church with her. He tried his best but was unable to ditch the church service.

During the service something happened. He was touched twice......first by the preacher who's message seemed amazingly personal to Jim's life. Then someone standing behind him touched him on the back of the shoulder and offered to pray with him. It was at that moment that he was saved. On his knees, he asked for forgiveness and his life was forever changed.

Jim admits he does not know why he was saved, but now knows God has a plan for his life. God's plan transformed Jim's life, including sharing his incredible testimony and active involvement with the Cowboy Church of Ellis County.

Jim did give up his life on January 27, and he was reborn.......saved by God, through faith in Christ.

CLOSING PRAYER

Lead by Ron Edwards.

Ray Roberts - July 24, 2010      6:00 am to 1:30 pm

You know what they say….”Families that fish together, stay to together”. Maybe we should rewrite the slogan to say “Families that fish together win together”.

Congratulations to Grandfather/Grandson team Joe Crouch and Michael Walden. They take 1st place with 3 fish weighing 13.43 pounds and catch big bass of tournament. The “Old Sow” weighed 6.21 pounds. Casting a red eye Strike King shad on the dam and throwing a 12 inch Gene Larew worm with a 3/4 ounce sinker over brush piles in 20-30 feet of water was what put them in front of the pack. 1st place + big bass of the tournament paid a cool $560.00 on a very hot afternoon. Picture: http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Ray%20Roberts%202010%2007%2024/DSCN1097.jpg

Father/Son team Doyle Ray and Noah Ray take 2nd with a 9.08 pound sack. Throwing crank baits was trick to winning the $252 bucks. This team is just 4.45 pounds away from the AOY title.

Father/Son Team James Cook and Dillon Cook place 3rd and take home $84.00. Crank baits filled their sack between 6:00 am and 6:25 am. Two of the hawgs were caught on deep divers and the other one was caught on a shallow diving crank bait. The Cooks are less than a pound away from an AOY title. Picture:

LAKE CONDITIONS

Due to the summer heat, this was a short tournament. The lake was full. Depending on where you were, the lake was clear to murky. The skies were mostly sunny with a little cloud cover toward the end of the tournament. The Sanger weather station recorded winds out of the SW 8 mph to 13 mph, but it seemed a like 15-20 mph during the first ½ of the tournament.   At 6:00 am the air temp was 76 and at 1:30 pm it climbed to 91. The water temp was around 85. The barometric pressure was 30.01 at 6:00 am and rose to 30.05 by 11:00 am. At 11:00 am it started falling back down to 30.02 (1:30 pm). The moon was almost full the night before. We launched out of the Sanger public ramp. It was very nice with 4 lanes, but there was not a suitable area for us to beach all our boats. The weigh-in area was not shaded. Just about everyone saw sandbass schooling. The pleasure boats and jet skis were out in full force.

Other tournaments on the lake....Twenty-four teams fished in the Bud Light Denton Division and launched at the marina ramp next to us. You can see that the conditions were tough on them as well. Their website is http://www.budlighttrail.com/Results_YTD/Denton/denton6results.pdf .

THE RESULTS

28 teams fished.
4 limits were caught (a limit is 3 fish 14 inches or greater)
11 teams zeroed.
29 fish were weighed in with a weight of 79.80 pounds.
2.75 pounds was the average fish weight

20% given to the church........$280.00
10% given to the club............$140.00
10% big bass........................$140.00
$840.00 balance divided.....................first 50%, second 30%, third 10%, forth 5%, & fifth 5%

Big Bass: Joe Crouch...................................6.21-lb    $140.00

1st place team: Joe Crouch / Michael Walden...................13.43-lb   $420.00
2nd place team: Doyle Ray / Noah Ray ..............................9.08-lb   $252.00
3rd place team: James Cook / Dillon Cook..........................9.05-lb     $84.00
4th place team: George Walker / Brandon Wooddell...........6.13-lb     $42.00
5th place team: Herman Martin / Charles Martin................5.30-lb     $42.00

Slide Show:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Ray%20Roberts%202010%2007%2024/?albumview=slideshow

SCATTER SHOOTING

Most everyone was as the ramp early and launched their boats before the opening prayer and tournament briefing. Reggie was the exception, somehow he got lost. In his absence, Al Kohutek and Mike Thurman collected the entry fees. Reggie finally rolled in about 5:25 am, led the prayer at 5:30 am, and had us in our boats by 5:32 am. It all worked out!...…..……..4th place team, Wooddell & Walker had a nice 4 & ½ pounder in their sack. They caught their 2 bass around 10:00 am in 5-8 ft of water on jigs. Their sack puts them closer to the AOY title, just ounces behind the leaders…..…… 5th place team, Herman & Charles Martin caught their 2 bass on buzz baits and a rattle trap in the 11 o’clock hour………….Point leaders Mike Thurman and Joe Lee were the only team to have a 3 fish limit and not get a check. Their AOY lead dwindled from 2 pounds to mere ounces…..…..….Charlie David caught lots of little spots….…. Ron Bailey & Bill Brandon thought Ray Roberts was a slot lake and threw back an 18 inch bass………Jon Griffin and Al Kohutek caught 9 bass and 1 goo, but they were all under 14 inches. They zeroed!...….James Croney was on the fish during practice. He caught a 9 pounder and several others in the 5 and 6 pound range. I guess they had sore lips because they wouldn’t bite his lures on tournament day. James moved from 2nd in the AOY points standings to 6th place.

TOP TEN - POINTS LEADERS

Right now Mike Thurman and Joe Lee are hanging on to the yellow jerseys by a thread. The next tournament is the last points tournament of the year and it’s way too close to predict the “Angler of the Year“ team. Can Mike and Joe hang on to the lead?....find out at the Richland Chambers tournament on August 28th.

After August 28, the top ten teams will be eligible to fish the Top Ten tournament on a private lake near Athens on October 9th. No entry fee is required and prizes will be awarded.

Points as of July 24, 2010

1 Mike Thurman / Joe Lee...........................41.80
2 George Walker / Brandon Wooddell........41.46 (2007 & 2009 AOY)
3 James Cook / Dillon Cook.......................40.97
4 Doyle Ray / Noah Ray.............................37.35
5 Herman Martin / Charles Martin...............36.53
6 James Croney..........................................35.61
7 Charlie David / Donna David....................35.10
8 Ben Griffin / Steve Reynolds.....................34.36
9 Brian Barfield / Kyle Barfield....................33.43 (2008 AOY)
10 Kevin Davis / Byron McFarland.............31.99
______________________________________________________below the line
Jim Love / Tracy Derrick...........................30.80
Chad Alton / Chris Boulet..........................30.49
Jimmy Redmon / Jim Redmon....................30.48
Ron Edwards / Brent Edwards...................30.19
Al Kohutek / Jon Griffin............................27.05
Joe Crouch / Michael Walden....................26.90
Reggie Stewart / Casey Smith....................21.35
Albert Love / Matthew Love......................18.15
Nick Flecher / Cody Pratka.......................15.87
Mike Grove / Tim Casbeer.........................15.21

LAKESIDE DEVOTIONAL

Ron Bailey and Bill Brandon shared their Personal Testimony. Ron and Bill are tournament partners and fish out of the only pontoon boat in the club. Most of the time they camp overnight on their boat the night before the tournament. They received the 2007 sportsman team of the year award and have fished in just about every tournament since the club was founded. They may have never won a tournament but they really enjoy the fellowship and friendship opportunities that the club offers.

Bill Brandon started off by telling us that his walk with God could be compared to his tournament fishing, describing it as persistent and persevering.  He came to know Jesus when he was a child and has had his share of ups and downs. As humans do, even veered off the path a couple of times, but through the grace of God Bill has always found his way back and been blessed.

Bill gave us a few more details about his life and said…..”If there is just one thing that you get from my testimony, it’s that God wants to hear from us. Simply talk to him. Do it when you are driving into work….Let him know how much you appreciate the little things, like fishing on the lake, the sunrise and sun set. Pray to him daily”.

Ron Bailey was up next. He started off by saying his great grandfather was a circuit preacher and that was probably his families foundation for their Christian upbringing. His current profession is a school teacher and after 34 years of teaching in the public schools, Ron said he is planning on retiring after this year. Ron’s main point was we should be a witness to the kids around us. He encouraged us to not be afraid to let others know how we feel about Jesus.

ANSWERED PRAYERS

Raymond Zamarippa personally thanked the club for all the prayers. He said they worked and as proof we can see that he is back fishing with the club after the doctors removed 65% of his kidney due to cancer.

Raymond, Ron Bailey, and several other club members reminded us that we should take advantage of any cancer screening opportunities and to wear sunscreen while we are out on the lake.

CLOSING PRAYER

Lead by Al Kohutek.

Cedar Creek Lake - June 26, 2010      6:00 am to 3:30 pm

Congratulations to Kevin Davis and Byron McFarland! They brought an 11-lb 5-oz, 3 fish sack to the scales. The best stringer on the lake! Even the Media boys couldn't touch that. Throwing top water poppers in reeds near Log Cabin was the what put them ahead of the pack and earned them $450.00.

Charlie David caught the big bass dragging a crank bait over brush piles. His hawg weighed 5.26 pounds and was good for $150.00

LAKE CONDITIONS

It was a great day for catching little bass. The big bass seemed to be suffering from lockjaw. The lake was full from the record rains a few weeks before. The water was stained. The skies were sunny. The winds were out of the SSE 8 mph with gusts up to 15 mph. At 6:00 am the air temp was 79 with humidity at 90% and by 3:30 pm it had climbed to 90 with humidity at 60%. It felt hot all day. The water temp was 81-82.  The barometric pressure was almost flat. A 6:00 am it was 29.96 and fell to 29.94 by 3:30 pm. The moon was full the night before. The launch site was challenging with it's one lane ramp and a tricky driveway between the condos at Don's Marina. We held the weigh-in on the service dock and the devo on the grass under the trees next to the ramp. The Media boys were fishing too. Twenty-five of them launched their boats out of Log Cabin. See the website http://www.mediabass.com/2k10/TX/ICENT/6.shtml    As you can see from the results, they had a tough day fishing too.

THE RESULTS

30 teams fished.
9 limits were caught (a limit is 3 fish 14 inches or greater)
10 teams zeroed.
43 fish were weighed in with a weight of 99.65 pounds.
2.31 pounds was the average fish weight

20% given to the church........$300.00
10% given to the club............$150.00
10% big bass........................$150.00
$900.00 balance divided.....................first 50%, second 30%, third 10%, forth 5%, & fifth 5%

Big Bass: Charlie David...................................5.26-lb    $150.00

1st place team: Kevin Davis / Byron McFarland......11.05-lb   $450.00
2nd place team: James Cook / Dillon Cook ...............7.95-lb   $270.00
3rd place team: Darren Coslin / Bud Benner...............7.91-lb     $90.00
4th place team: James Croney...................................7.13-lb     $45.00
5th place team: Brian Barfield / Kyle Barfield.............6.41-lb     $45.00

Slide Show:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Cedar%20Creek%202010%2006%2026/?albumview=slideshow

SCATTER SHOOTING

Ron Bailey caught a snake on his rod and reel and in another boat, a snake liked Tim Casbeer and Mike Grove.......Randy Crabb partnered up with Bob Fogarty since Bob's partner could not fish. Too bad they were late to the weigh-in. Word was they had a good sack.........Jon Griffin lost his net during the tournament take-off. It was not fastened down and blew out of the boat while going 60 mph across the lake. He needed it at the dam when he hooked an 8-lb yellow cat on a KVD rattle trap. He broke off while trying to lift it in the boat (favorite lure and all)...............James Croney fished in the Cowboy Church tournament and his dad, Verlon Croney fish in the Media tournament. James had a nice limit and took 4th place on rattle traps and purple worms. His dad didn't do so good....................The Barfields took 5th throwing Senkos around the launch site........New members Darren Coslin and Bud Benner took 3rd place throwing jigs and crank baits.......James and Dillon Cook took 2nd throwing watermelon flukes..........Tim Casbeer and Mike Grove caught 2 keepers on shaky heads rigged with a senko, Texas rigged worms, and crank baits.......Reggie and Tommy Stewart caught 25 fish on a Texas rigged French fry, crank baits, and blood red worms. Their 2 keepers were caught on the dam at 7:30 am and 9:30 am. They also caught a nice crappie on a blood red worm. Out of the 25 bass, only 2 were keepers................We missed Teri.

TOP TEN - POINTS LEADERS
Mike Thurman / Joe Lee..........................36.59
James Croney..........................................34.61
George Walker / Brandon Wooddell........34.33
Ben Griffin / Steve Reynolds.....................31.87
Kevin Davis / Byron McFarland...............30.99
James Cook / Dillon Cook.......................30.92
Charlie David / Donna David....................30.37
Herman Martin / Charles Martin...............30.23
Jimmy Redmon / Jim Redmon...................29.48
Jim Love / Tracy Derrick..........................28.05

LAKESIDE DEVOTIONAL

Chad Alton led a short lakeside devotional.  Chad was recently baptized and he discussed his struggles with an addition to Copenhagen tobacco. He warned us about the dangers of using smokeless tobacco and as testimony told us the story of his uncle passing away just 2 weeks ago from cancer.  It was his wakeup call. Through prayer, reading the bible, and with help from his support group, he has been able to kick the habit. He said it could not be done without the help of God.

CLOSING PRAYER

Lead by Ron Edwards.

Lake Limestone - May 22, 2010      6:00 am to 3:30 pm

Congratulations to Chad Alton and Chris Boulet! They brought to the scales a whopping 14.05 pounds that included a 6.33-lb kicker bass. White Chatter baits and watermelon red plastics were their key baits. They took home $120 for big bass and $360 for first place stringer.

LAKE CONDITIONS

It was another windy CCBC tournament. The lake was at normal level. The water clarity was muddy to very stained. The skies were partly cloudy and hazy. The winds were out of the SSW from 6 to 16 mph with gusts up to 26 mph. At 6:00 am the air temp was 73 degrees and by 3:30 pm it had climbed to 91. It was hot and humid. The water temp was 77-81. At 6:00 am the barometric pressure was 29.90 and slowly rose to 29.95 by 10:00 am. From 10:00 am to noon it was flat. At 12:00 pm it started a sharp fall to 29.84. The moon was about 3/4 full the night before. The launch site was located at the dam - Brazos River Authority park #1. The launch area was better than average. The club had use of a 3 lane boat ramp with a big pavilion at the water's edge. Plenty of tables in the shade under the pavilion and no launch fee. It was a perfect place for the weigh-in and devo. Some of the guys stayed at Running Branch Marina on Friday night. It cost only $13 per bed if you had 5 guys in your cabin. Running Branch is a really nice place to stay.

THE RESULTS

24 teams fished.
13 limits were caught (a limit is 3 fish 14 inches or greater)
4 teams zeroed.
48 fish were weighed in with a weight of 140.70 pounds.
2.93 pounds was the average fish weight

20% given to the church........$240.00
10% given to the club............$120.00
10% big bass........................$120.00
$720.00 balance divided.....................first 50%, second 30%, third 10%, forth 5%, & fifth 5%

Big Bass: Chad Alton / Chris Boulet ...................................6.33-lb    $120.00

1st place team: Chad Alton / Chris Boulet..........................14.05-lb   $360.00
2nd place team: Doyle Ray / Noah Ray.............................13.30-lb   $252.00
3rd place team: Charlie David / Donna David.....................11.50-lb     $72.00
4th place team: Jim Love / Tracy Derrick...........................10.21-lb   $36.00
5th place team: George Walker / Brandon Wooddell...........8.41-lb    $36.00

Pictures:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Limestone%202010%2005%2010/?albumview=slideshow

SCATTER SHOOTING

The guys who practiced the week before predicted a tough tournament, but the conditions changed. Several teams had quality bass in their sack!...........2nd place father son team Doyle and Noah Ray caught their bass on chatter baits, a rig, and blue flake beaver. Their 3rd keeper bass was caught just before the weigh-in. Their sack weighed an impressive 13.30 pounds!.........3rd place husband and wife team Charlie and Donna David caught their bass before 7:00 am on a Bill Norman shad color crank bait. They had 12 pounds in their bag, but a dead fish penalty that dropped their total weight to 11.50 pounds........4th place team Jim Love and Tracy Derrick caught their bass on sour grape caterpillars pitched under docks..........5th place team Brandon Wooddell and George Walker caught their bass on June bug rigs fishing mid-lake. Most of their bass were caught just before the weigh-in.......Father and son team James and Dillon Cook caught their bass on bandit crank baits, drop shots, and flukes.......Al Kohutek and Jon Griffin caught their one bass on a motor oil worm with red flakes and curly tail, rigged Carolina style........Reggie finally weighed in a bass.

TOP TEN - POINTS LEADERS

Mike Thurman / Joe Lee...........................31.77
Jimmy Redmon / Jim Redmon...................28.48
George Walker / Brandon Wooddell.........27.34
James Croney...........................................26.48
Herman Martin / Charles Martin................26.31
Ben Griffin / Steve Reynolds.....................25.47
Charlie David / Donna David.....................24.11
Al Kohutek / Jon Griffin............................23.17
Jim Love / Tracy Derrick..........................22.58
Doyle Ray / Noah Ray..............................22.35

LAKESIDE DEVOTIONAL

Mike Thurman led the lakeside devotional with his partner Joe Lee by his side. The message was God is in control and trials will make you stronger. He said...."Even though you walk the Christ life, you will have trials"

Mike shared his personal testimony with the club and began to tell us about his family. He said a little over 4 years ago, on the weekend before Easter, his mom fell and hit her head on a sewing machine. The injury was serious. Her spinal cord was damage and she had major paralysis. A way of life was changed in a matter of seconds.

Mike thought he was in control. He thought he could fix this with the help of doctors, specialist, and therapy, but after several years of trying the stress and strain on him and his family was more than he could bear. He realized then that he is not in control and he turned it all over to the Lord.

Mike has been able to work through this time of trial with help of his friends, his dad, Joe Lee, the club, and the church. What Mike was saying to us was once we accept that God is in control, it will bring us peace. Mike let us know that even with the setbacks and prognosis, his parents are still very happy.

Joe Lee read a few passages from the Bible....

"Everything in the heavens and earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as being in control of everything. Riches and honor come from you alone, and you are the Ruler of all mankind; your hand controls power and might and it is at your discretion that men are made great and given strength" -1 Chronicles 29:11-12

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds" -James 1:2

Reggie reminded us that we can count on our brothers to lift us up and that when God leads you to it, God will lead you through it.

CLOSING PRAYER

Lead by James Cook.

Lake Palestine - April 24, 2010 6:00 am to 3:30 pm

Joe Lee and Mike Thurman beat the wind and take big bass and 1st place team!   Their 3 fish stringer weighed 13.30 pounds. Their big bass was 5.22 pounds. Total take home was $560.00.

LAKE CONDITIONS

Storms blew in just hours before the tournament started. Getting to the lake was a challenge due to fallen trees blocking the highways. Some members had to backtrack and go different routes because the roads were closed. At 6 am you could see the lighting off in the distance.
The first couple of hours it was cloudy and calm, but as the sun came out the winds picked up making the ride back to the launch site very difficult. The winds were out of the west with gusts up to 26 mph (seemed like 40). At first light the air temp was 58 degrees and at weigh-in it was 78. The water temp was 67 near the dam and 76 at mid-lake.   The barometric pressure was steady around 29.60 and then started falling at noon. At 3:00 pm it was 29.55.   The moon was almost full the night before. The launch site was great! Villages Marina did the club right. Good ramp, plenty of parking, and the beach area for the boats was perfect. Reggie parked his camper just a few feet from the water.

THE RESULTS

28 teams entered (1 team did not fish)
14 limits were caught (a limit is 3 fish 14 inches or greater)
4 teams zeroed.
53 fish were weighed in with a weight of 121.52 pounds.
2.29 pounds was the average fish weight

20% given to the church........$280.00
10% given to the club............$140.00
10% big bass........................$140.00
$840.00 balance divided.....................first 50%, second 30%, third 10%, forth 5%, & fifth 5%

Big Bass: Joe Lee/Mike Thurman...................................5.22-lb    $140.00

1st place team: Joe Lee / Mike Thurman ..........................13.30-lb   $420.00
2nd place team: Bill Nowlin / Jerry Patterson.....................10.71-lb   $252.00
3rd place team: Brandon Wooddell / George Walker..........8.93-lb     $84.00
4th place team: Herman Martin / Charles Martin.................8.83-lb     $42.00
5th place team: James Cook / Joe ......................................7.06-lb     $42.00

Full results:
http://www.lakevilbig.org/ccpoints10.htm    (see the Palestine tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet)

Pictures

http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Palestine%202010%2004%2024/?albumview=slideshow

SCATTER SHOOTING

Sixth place team Kevin Davis and Byron McFarland caught their bass on swim baits and rattle snakes........5th place team James Cook and Joe caught their bass on flukes..........4th place team Merman Martin and Charles Martin caught their bass on rattle traps........3rd place team Brandon Wooddell and George Walker caught their bass on jigs and a rig using Lake Fork craw worms.........Al and Jon caught their bass on wacky rigs, chug bugs, and stick worms, and lizards in the mid lake and lower lake..........Reggie had a tough day. He did not get much sleep the night before due to the storms. His partner, Tommy Stewart had to leave early so he could be at a friend's wedding. Reggie has not weighed in a fish this year.....Joe Lee and Mike Thurman had a cool setup for measuring the bass............The Loves didn't love their big bass. It was DOA........Al and Jon made a long run from the dam when the winds were the strongest. They had the roughest ride of their lives and were soaking wet at the weigh-in. Several other teams got drenched on the trip back to the weigh-in due to the big waves on the lake...........Jeff Skagges ran over a stump and knocked a hole in his boat and the Barfields came to the rescue! They had to make a trip to the local Wal-Mart and buy a bow saw to free the boat. To make it worse as they were towing the sunk boat to the ramp, they knocked another hole in the hull. This all happened early in the morning so neither team got to fish more than an hour and 1/2..............Danny Stokes and Bob Fogarty were a little late to the weigh-in. They had to tow in a stranded boater (not in the club). Reggie let the team weigh-in their bass without any penalty. Hats off to the Barfields, Danny, and Bob! Their actions make the club shine............Brandon and George caught a real nice hybrid striper on a rig.......Mike Grove caught a bunch of stripers. His partner Tim Casbeer got sick around 1 pm and had to head back to the ramp. Tim said he caught some kind of stomach virus..........Joe Crouch and his grandson, Michael Walden both caught 20 bass each........Teri Stewart made sandwiches for those who were hungry. Thanks Teri!..........Mike Thurman and Joe Lee are leading the pack

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

James Croney shared his personal testimony with the club. He readily admitted that the 3 Bs (babes, booze, and bars) were taking him down the wrong path.

He said he was living life in the darkness and quoted scripture:

John 3:19-20
This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.

James shared a story about someone who helped him find the light. That someone was Van Reynolds.

James and Van chatted one night while pitching washers. Van shared with James information about the Cowboy Church, a different kind of a church and that James should check it out. Van was there for James right when he needed someone to talk to and it is the reason James is in our club and involved in the Cowboy Church of Ellis County.

James shared more of his favorite quotes:

John 8:12
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Matthew 4:19
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."

If you didn't know, Van Reynolds was a brand new member in our bass club when he lost his life practicing for the February 2007 tournament on Lake Fairfield. Many of us were on the lake when he drowned. None of us knew the impact he would have on our club, but God knew. God had a plan for Van......to use the church and bass fishing to draw others closer to him, including James Croney......now James is a fisher of men.

TOP TEN

Mike Thurman / Joe Lee........................23.66
Jimmy Redmon / Jim Redmon.................21.13
Herman Martin / Charles Martin.............21.08
Al Kohutek / Jon Griffin.........................18.70
George Walker / Brandon Wooddell......17.93
Chandler Croney / James Croney...........17.31
Ben Griffin / Steve Reynolds...................16.17
James Cook / Dillon Cook.....................13.62
Brian Barfield / Kyle Barfield..................13.23
Bill Nowlin / Jerry Patterson...................12.71

CLOSING PRAYER

Was led by Jon Griffin

Lake Belton - March 27, 2010 Safe light to 3:30 pm

James Croney catches a MONSTER! It weighed 8.43 pounds and was good for a $160.00 check. Combined with Chandler's bass they took 2nd place team and another $288.00 giving them a total of $456.00. James said the hawg took a Texas rigged watermelon red/candy craw worm around noon. He had one spot that was in the upper lake near the bridge where the water was stained next to some very muddy water. The spot was a staging point with a 45 degree slope between two flats in 17-ft water. Congratulations James and Chandler!

Picture of James's big bass
http://i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Belton%202010%2003%2027/Img_9470a.jpg

First Place went to Jimmy and Jim Redmon. They caught a 11.66 pound sack that included a 5.39 kicker. Their 3 bass were good for a $480.00 check.
Jim said the key bait was a red rattle trap and wacky worms.

LAKE CONDITIONS

At first light the air temp was 45 degrees and at weigh-in it was 78. The boat ramp water temp at 6:00 AM was 56 and 62-63 degrees in various pockets later in the day. Winds were out of the south 6 mph at first light, 15 mph by 11 am, and 26 mph at weigh-in with gusts up to 32 out of the west. The barometric pressure was steady around 29.80. The moon was almost full the night before. The lake had muddy, stained, and clear condition depending on where you were. Ramp conditions were great......however, very rocky and a rough area to beach your boat.

THE RESULTS

32 teams fished
7 limits were caught (a limit is 3 fish with a 14 inches or greater)
10 teams zeroed.
43 fish were weighed in with a weight of 104.01 pounds.
2.42 pounds was the average fish weight

20% given to the church........$320.00
10% given to the club............$160.00
10% big bass........................$160.00
$960.00 balance divided.....................first 50%, second 30%, third 10%, forth 5%, & fifth 5%

Big Bass: Jame Croney...................................8.43-lb    $160.00

1st place team: Jimmy Redmon / Jim Redmon.................11.66-lb   $480.00
2nd place team: James Croney / Chandler Croney.............9.97-lb   $288.00
3rd place team: Herman Martin / Charles Martin..............9.25-lb     $96.00
4th place team: Mike Thurman / Joe Lee............................7.64-lb    $48.00
5th place team: Charlie David / Dillon David.......................7.02-lb   $48.00

More Pictures
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Belton%202010%2003%2027/

SCATTER SHOOTING (by Jon Griffin)

Dwayne Morgan filled in for Al Kohutek with a jerkbait bite that boated 20+ fish and 1 keeper...Donna David returned to partner with husband/Aggie Charlie to anchor 5th place throwing crank baits and drop shots..........George Walker back-seated partner Brandon Wooddell, boating both keepers..........James Cook got ticketed driving in...or was Dillon driving??.......Tim Casbeer & Mike Grove got into a mess of stripers, and their bass bag helped them crack the top 10......Bucks were aplenty, the 14" plus was an illusive bite....Speaking of bucks, that area is full of deer.......Due to a threat of high winds, the start time was moved to sunlight-great move Reggie!...5 bass @ 5 plus pounds were weighed in........Conditions were near perfect for the 1st 6 hours of the tourney, then the winds picked up, but bass continued to bite right up to weigh-in......Mike Thurman and Joe Lee took 4th place throwing chatter baits and flukes.

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL (by Jon Griffin)

Reggie related his devo to the signs we're all confronted with on a daily basis. There are good signs....there are bad signs...there are speed limit signs that may be overlooked (see James Cook above!). The Bible is full of obvious signs. The burning bush...the red sea...locust invasion....Reggie shared that many of us may look to the heavens "for a sign". Jesus told us to always be on the lookout and to be prepared for his coming.

Obviously, with this Easter week, the ultimate signs occurred over 2,000 years ago.

Sign #1-the blood stained cross where Christ willingly laid down his life for you...for me....for bass fisherman....for carp fisherman....for Christian...for non-Christian...for Muslim...for Jew.

Sign #2-The empty tomb. No one can ever explain this away, except for one absolute. He said he would rise again...and He did.

When you're expecting a sign from God...do know, very rarely, it's not a giant, well lit sign that blinds us. It's the subtle & quiet signs when God speaks the loudest. His word says "be still and know that he is with us." Like a 9 pound bucketmouth inhaling that jig....often times you only feel a "tick".

(Psalm 46:10) "Be Still and know that I am God".

It reminds us to let go and trust God to do God's will. It reminds us to slow down, shut our mouths...and listen. He's always communicating....His signs are continually and squarely in front of us.

Lake Monticello - February 27, 2010      6:00 am - 3:30 pm

Slot lakes are for the lucky! Monticello is one of those slot lakes where you have to throw back all bass between 14 and 24 inches. It's not necessarily the most skilled anglers that win a tournament on a slot lake, it's really the luckiest fisherman who happens to catch a short fat bass under 14 inches.

Jon Griffin and Al Kohutek got lucky! Jon caught the big bass of the day. It weighed 1.77 pounds and was good for $165.00 That fish came from the creek next to the FM 127 bridge (south/west side) just past a big dead tree sticking out of the water. Fishing behind another boat, Jon got lucky and caught the baby pig on a C-rig around 1:00 pm in 8 ft of water. At the weigh-in the Game Warden was standing right in front of Jon's boat. Jon and Al knew that bass measured just a hair under the 14 inches mark, but how would it measure on someone else's board? Jon decided to take the risk and weigh the fish. That decision was the right one!......Reggie even said "It don't get no closer than that!" Jon's little bass measured under 14 inches (pinched tail on the ruler).

Al and Jon's total sack weight was 2.41 pounds and included 1 other little fish that weighed 0.64 lb. That bass was caught on a Carolina Rig around 8:00 am in 2-ft of water. First place paid $495 giving Al and Jon $660.00 in total winnings

Congratulations to James and Dillon Cook! They placed second with a 3 fish limit weighing 2.28 pounds (only 2 ounces behind Al and Jon). Those 3 little bass were good for $297.00

LAKE CONDITIONS

The lake was full and the water was clear. At 6:00 am the air temp was 35 degrees. It rose steadily all day and by the end of the tournament the temperature was a very comfortable 59 degrees. It was foggy in the morning, the skies were clear and the winds were out of the west 5-15 mph with gust up to 23 mph. The water temp on most of the lake was 65-70. The discharge was warmer, probably around 78. There was a full moon shining on us as we started the tournament. The barometric pressure was 30.13 at 6:00 am and rose to 30.17 by 9:00 am. At noon it started falling and was 30.07 at the weigh-in. There was another tournament going on so the lake was very crowded.

THE RESULTS

33 teams fished
2 limits were caught (a limit is 3 fish with a 14-24 inch no keep slot)
23 teams zeroed.
17 fish were weighed in with a weight of 14.99 pounds.
0.88 pounds was the average fish weight

20% given to the church........$330.00
10% given to the club............$165.00
10% big bass........................$165.00
$990.00 balance divided.....................first 50%, second 30%, third 10%, forth 5%, & fifth 5%

Big Bass: Jon Griffin...................................1.77-lb   $165.00

1st place team: Al Kohutek / Jon Griffin..........................2.41-lb      $495.00 (2 fish)
2nd place team: James Cook / Dillon Cook.....................2.28-lb      $297.00 (3 fish)
3rd place team: Ben Griffin / Steve Reynolds...................2.04-lb      $99.00 (3 fish)
4th place team: Brandon Wooddell / George Walker......1.89-lb      $49.50 (2 fish)
5th place team: Jeff Skaggs / Ryan Weatherford..............1.53-lb      $49.50 (1 fish)

Pictures
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Monticello%202010%2002%2027/?start=all

SCATTER SHOOTING

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