Cowboy Church Bass Club 2011 recap

Purtis Creek State Park - October 15, 2011    7:30 am - 1:30 pm

Congratulations to Joe Lee and Mike Thurman. They win first place with 12.82 pounds and catch big bass of the tournament.   Small H2O crankbaits, chatter baits, worms, and critter baits were the key lures used to catch the fish. They won $130.00 plus 2 rod/reel combos.

LAKE CONDITIONS

The air temperature was 57 - 87. The water temp was 73.   The lake was 6 ft low. The water clarity was stained. The barometric pressure was on a rise from 30.04 to 30.10 but during the last 30 minutes it started to fall. The winds were calm to 5 mph with no particular direction.   The skies were clear and there was almost a full moon the night before.   Ramp conditions were good. No vegetation on the lake, lots of stumps, and sandy banks. Most anglers reported that the bass had lock jaw.

THE RESULTS

9 teams fished
2 limits were caught (a limit is 5 bass 10 inches or greater)
0 teams zeroed
32 fish were weighed in with a weight of 55.94 pounds
1.74 pounds was the average fish weight

$180 was collected in an optional side pot ($20 a team) and $180 was paid out plus 4 rod/reel combos and 2 tackle boxes.

Big Bass: Mike Thurman.............................4.68-lb   Ata-Boy!

1st place team: Joe Lee / Mike Thurman........................12.82-lb    $130.00 + tackle
2nd place team: Bryan Barfield / Kyle Barfield................12.37-lb      $50.00 + tackle
3rd place team: James Croney / Billy Martenize................6.80-lb                     tackle

Pictures:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Purtis%20Creek%202011%2010%2015/?start=all

Slide Show:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Purtis%20Creek%202011%2010%2015/?albumview=slideshow

TOURNAMENT FORMAT

This was a paper tournament. Boaters drew the non-boaters and the original teams counted the 5 best bass per team. If a bass measured in-between the 1/2 inch mark the length was rounded down, if a bass measured 1/2 or over the length was round up to the next inch.

Teams
1) Mike Thurman / Joe Lee
2) Reggie Stewart / Tommy Stewart
3) Bryan Barfield / Kyle Barfield
4) Albert Love / Matthew Love
5) Doyle Ray / Al Kohutek
6) Joe Crouch / Michael Walden
7) Darren Coslin / Bud Benner
8) Kenneth Mohone / Darrel Walden
9) James Croney / Billy Marteniz
10) Canceled at the last minute

Boat Pairings
1) Mike Thurman / Billy Marteniz
2) Reggie Stewart / Joe Lee
3) Bryan Barfield / Matthew Love
4) Albert Love / Kyle Barfield
5) Doyle Ray / Darrel Walden
6) Joe Crouch / Bud Benner
7) Darren Coslin / Michael Walden
8) Kenneth Mohone / Al Kohutek
9) James Croney / Tommy Stewart
10) canceled at the last minute

SCATTER SHOOTING

Doyle Ray caught a nice sandbass........A guy fishing on the lake but not in the tournament caught a 27 inch bass over 11 pounds on a 10 inch power worm.........2nd place team Bryan & Kyle Barfield caught their bass on Senkos.....3rd place team James Croney & Billy Martenize caught their bass on crankbaits and craw worms...............Al Kohutek and Bryan Barfield did not boat a fish........Reggie and Tommy provided the lunch..........It was a great day to be on the lake.

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Joe Lee had a Spirit lead devotional on relationships. He said some of us may interpret what he is about to say differently depending on our personal relationship with the Holy Sprit.

Joe then gave a short testimony and spoke about his relationship with his tournament partner and the trials his partner was going through. He reminded us that the trials in our live may seem like bad things, but we actually should look at them as good for us.

He quoted James 1:2-3

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

Joe said we develop many relationships in our life and he hopes we developed some during this tournament fishing with other guys in the club.  He told us about his relationship with the Holy Spirit and used a lake map to illustrate. Just like a map guides us on the lake, the Spirit guides us through life.

We should constantly ask the Holy Sprit to lead us and listen to what he says.  The Holy Sprit can also guide us to help others.

Joe encouraged everyone to take a few minutes everyday and ask the Sprit for guidance.

Reggie led the closing prayer.

Lake Lewisville - September 24, 2011      6:00 am - 3:30 pm

Congratulations to Brian and Kyle Barfield. They win their first Cowboy Classic and take home $700.00. Their 5 fish sack weighed 13.32-lbs. Brain and Kyle caught 4 of their keepers off one dead tree.

LAKE CONDITIONS

The air temperature was 61 - 96. The water temp was 77-78.   The lake looked to be about 6 ft low. The water clarity was normal. The barometric pressure was flat at 29.95 from 6:00 am to 11:00 am. At 11:00 am it started a sharp fall to 29.76. The winds were 8 - 20 mph out of the south with gust up 26.5.   The skies were partly cloudy. There was almost no moon the night before. Tower Bay ramp conditions - good ramp, plenty of parking, but there was a $10 launch fee that could only be paid with by credit cards (NO CASH) at an automated credit card machine. The payment process was very difficult and the teams that figured it out helped the other teams get through it. At the end of the tournament, some guy was renting 4 jet skies and he hogged most of the ramp giving operation and safety instructions to his customers on the ramp.


THE RESULTS

22 teams fished
4 limits were caught (a limit is 5 bass 14 inches or greater)
8 teams zeroed
35 fish were weighed in with a weight of 76.76 pounds
2.19 pounds was the average fish weight

$1,050.00 in entry fees were collected and $1,750 was paid out. The extra $700 prize money came from money held back at each tournament. Anglers had to have fished in at least 3 of the tournaments this year to qualify for the Classic.
The payout was guaranteed no matter how may teams showed up.

Big Bass: Danny Stokes.............................4.50-lb   $200.00

1st place team: Brian Barfield / Kyle Barfield........................13.82-lb    $700.00
2nd place team: Joe Crouch / Michael Walden......................10.52-lb    $350.00
3rd place team: Brandon Wooddell / George Walker............10.10-lb    $250.00
4th place team: Al Kohutek / Jon Griffin..................................8.83-lb    $150.00
5th place team: Ben Griffin / Steve Reynolds .........................8.42-lb    $100.00

Pictures:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Lewisville%202011%2009%2024/?start=all

Slide Show:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Lewisville%202011%2009%2024/?albumview=slideshow

SCATTER SHOOTING

22 teams fished and that is the same number of teams that fished last year. 14 more teams were eligible but did not show up.............Brandon Wooddell and George Walker's winning streak ended. There was no three-peat. They did manage to place 3rd with a respectable 10.11 pounds. They caught 6 keepers on crankbaits, brush hogs, and worms around wood in 6-8 ft of water............................Joe Lee caught a giant yellow cat (see the pictures). His crankbait snagged it on the head. He must of been using those KVD triple grip hooks..............Al Kohutek and Jon Griffin took 4th place throwing top water, small creature baits, & crank baits............Everyone was exhausted at the weigh-in. It was Autumn on the calendar, but the temperature said it was still Summer. Teams wanted to get out of the heat and in our rush to end the tournament we forgot to ask the winners what they caught their bass on................Reggie fished alone. Without his partner Tommy, he showed at the weigh-in with an empty sack.............Team of the year - Joe Lee and Mike Thurman got to fish for free...................Most teams reported catching lots of dinks and had difficulty hooking up with bass over 14 inches...............If you caught a 5 fish limit, you won money............Who ever forecasted 5 mph winds was way off..........Doyle Ray needed his net man. He lost a 5 pounder at the boat.......Dennis Lamberchet also lost a good one next to the tires. He wished he would have used his net instead of trying to lip it with his hands.............It was reported that the fish were not biting at the dam.............The payout/entry fee ratio was great and with only 22 teams, the odds of winning were better than average.

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Jim Redmon shared his personal testimony. He said about 3 weeks ago he was in a dark place. Business stress, lack of sleep, skipping church, and not praying were contributing factors. Jim was questioning what he had done wrong and started praying about it. Jim said his prayers at first were half hearted and he didn't believe that God was really listening. He said that things began to change when he prayed full heartedly and had faith in God.   He said God spoke to him and told him what he had to do to get things right again. Since then everything has been good!   His message to us was to keep your faith in God and pray about your problems. God may not answer your prays the way you want him to, but if you have the faith he will respond.

Jim's testimony reminded me of Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Jim Love reported that Terry Ware had hip surgery and suffered a stroke during the surgery. He asked the club to pray for Terry and his son Derrick. Derrick was on leave from the war and was there for his dad during the surgery but had to return back to Iraq last week. Reggie led a prayer for the Ware family.

Joe Lee led the closing prayer.

Cedar Creek - August 27, 2011      4:00 pm - 12:00 am Midnight

Tommy Stewart and Reggie Stewart take 1st place! Their 3 bass sack weighed 13.21 pounds and included a 6.86 pound kicker. The kicker was good for $93.75 (big bass of the tournament). First place paid $376.00 giving a total of $469.75. Tommy and Reggie caught their winning fish on watermelon red and cotton candy red Texas rigged brush hogs at the dam. The big bass was caught after dark. Reggie said there were a lot of boats at the dam but they all left to go somewhere else. That's when the fishing picked up and big balls of shad moved closer to the rocks.

2011 TEAM OF THE YEAR

Congratulations Joe Lee and Mike Thurman!   They caught 61.04 pounds this year and smashed the old club record by 12.02 pounds. Joe and Mike weighed in 19 bass with an average weight of 3.21 pounds.

On the web: http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/hist.htm

LAKE CONDITIONS

The air temperature was 108 at the start of the tournament and cooled down to 88 by midnight. The water temp was 89 - 93.   The lake was about 5 ft low and falling. The water clarity was murky and there was some kind of scum that was floating on the surface around different areas of the lake. With no moon it was pitch black after the sun went down. The barometric pressure was falling from 4pm to 5pm. From 5pm to 8pm it was flat at 29.81. From 8pm to midnight it rose from 29.81 to 29.83.   A 4-10 mph breeze was blowing from NE, switching later to the east. The skies were clear. The ramp at Log Cabin was usable but tricky. The water was about 2.5 ft deep at the end of the ramp and there was about a 2 ft drop where the concrete ended. Launching was not bad, but some teams difficulty pull their boats up. There were two other tournament going on the same day as ours. The Texas Poormans Bass Club had a tournament that night from 8pm - 8am and there was another club tournament the morning of our tournament. It was so hot that many teams reported coming close to or running out of drinking water.  Having GPS was a big advantage in the dark.

THE RESULTS

25 teams fished
10 limits were caught (a limit is 3 bass 14 inches or greater)
7 teams zeroed
41 fish were weighed in with a weight of 105.57 pounds
2.57 pounds was the average fish weight

10% given to the church........$125.00
10% given to the club............$125.00
10% big bass pot..................$125.00 (pays 2 places)
$875 balance divided.....................first 43%, second 25%, third 15%, forth 10%, & fifth 7%

1st Big Bass: Reggie Stewart.............................6.86-lb   $93.75    75% of the big bass pot
2nd Big Bass: Bud Benner.................................5.87-lb   $31.25    25% of the big bass pot

1st place team: Reggie and Tommy Stewart ....................13.21-lb    $376.00
2nd place team: Charlie David and David Butler.............12.11-lb    $218.00
3rd place team: Jon Griffin.................................................9.62-lb   $131.00
4th place team: Al Kohutek................................................8.05-lb       $87.00
5th place team: Joe Lee / Mike Thurman..........................7.68-lb    $61.00

Pictures:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Cedar%20Creek%202011%2008%2027/?start=all

SCATTER SHOOTING

This was the last points tournament of the year................2nd place team Charlie David & David Butler caught their bass on peanut butter jigs and crank baits........3rd place team Jon Griffin caught his bass on speed craws, C-rigs, and crank baits at the dam......4th place team Al Kohutek caught his bass on watermelon/pepper senkos and C-rigged speed craws at the spillway. The speed craw color was a homemade chartreuse pumpkin and regular green pumpkin............5th place team Joe Lee and Mike Thurman caught their bass on grubs and crank baits at the dam...............Reggie gave credit to James Cook for the cotton candy red color tip..........Jon Griffin was 26 miles from the house when he remembered he left his tackle bock back at the house. He had to double back and call his wife. She met him half way on the double back trip with the tackle.................With no moon, the lake was kind of spooky after the sun went down.........Several teams reported catching fish near the ramp after dark.

Top Ten Points leaders

Mike Thurman / Joe Lee..........................68.04

Jon Griffin................................................64.36 (3.68-lb under)
J.D Foster................................................63.52 (4.52-lb under)
Al Kohutek..............................................62.58 (5.46-lb under)
Reggie Stewart / Tommy Stewart.............58.91 (9.13-lb under)
Kevin Davis / Byron McFarland...............53.21 (14.83-lb under)
James Cook / Dillon Cook.......................52.59 (15.45-lb under)
Brian Barfield / Kyle Barfield....................50.86 (17.18-lb under)
Albert Love / Matthew Love....................50.29 (17.75-lb under)
Doyle Ray / Noah Ray............................47.37 (20.67-lb under)

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Reggie kept the devotional short because he wanted us to get home as quickly as possible. He let us know that there are members in the club going through some difficult situations and to please keep them in your prayers. He said we can't count on God giving us the perfect life, but if God sends you to it (difficulty), he will work you through it.

Reggie was pleased with the participation in the club this year and reminded us that we are all family. He said we are competitive but share fishing tips and teach each other. That's one of the strengths in this club.

Charlie David then led us in a closing prayer.

Richland Chambers - July 23, 2011      6:00 am - 1:30 pm

J.D. Foster takes 1st place and big bass. His sack weighed 17.13 pounds and is the 4th best in the club's history! (See http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/hist.htm for details). It would have been the 3rd best sack, but due to a dead fish penalty his weight was reduced by 1/2 a pound.   The big bass weighed 8.20 pounds (7.70 with the penalty) and was caught under a dock ladder. All his fish came from one dock on blue fleck Texas rigged worms in 10-12 ft of water.

Brian and Kyle Barfield take 2nd and 2nd place big bass! Their sack weighed 12.95 pounds and was caught next to the ramp on wacky rigged green pumpkin worms. They were caught in very shallow water.

LAKE CONDITIONS

The air temperature was 79 - 97. The water temp was 85 - 89.   The lake was about 4 ft low and falling. There was a 1/2 moon the night before. The barometric pressure was 29.96 - 30.03. The winds were blowing from the south east 8 - 19.6 mph with gust up to 25 mph. The skies were clear. The 3 lane boat ramp at Oak Cove Marina had something wrong with it and was down to two lanes. The weigh-in was in the shade under the trees. If you launched your boat after the prayer then you got stuck waiting on the sandbass guides to launch. Word was several guides took an excessive amount of time on the ramp and held up the other fishermen trying to launch. The launch ramp fee was $8.00. Most anglers reported catching sandbass and hybrid sandbass and some suspected they are impacting the black bass populations on the lake. A few anglers found grass on the lake, but for the most part there was not much to be found. Fishing was very hard and that is evident by the number of limits that were brought to the scales. 21 of the 30 teams could not catch a 3 fish limit.

THE RESULTS

31 teams fished
10 limits were caught (a limit is 3 bass 14 inches or greater)
7 teams zeroed
56 fish were weighed in with a weight of 154.74 pounds
2.76 pounds was the average fish weight

10% given to the church........$155.00
10% given to the club............$155.00
10% big bass pot..................$155.00 (pays 2 places)
$1,085.00 balance divided.....................first 43%, second 25%, third 15%, forth 10%, & fifth 7%

1st Big Bass: J.D. Foster...................................7.70-lb   $116.00    75% of the big bass pot
2nd Big Bass: Bud Benner.................................5.56-lb    $39.00     25% of the big bass pot

1st place team: J.D. Foster..............................................17.13-lb    $467.00
2nd place team: Kyle and Brian Barfield..........................12.95-lb    $271.00
3rd place team: Al Kohutek..............................................9.84-lb    $163.00
4th place team: Jim and Jimmy Redmon............................9.08-lb     $109.00
5th place team: Chad Alton / Chris Boulet.........................8.64-lb      $76..00

Pictures:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Richland%20Chambers%202011%2007%2023/?start=all

SCATTER SHOOTING

3rd place winner Al Kohutek caught 2 bass that weighed 9.84 pounds on a C-rigged pumpkin color Zoom speed craws with chartreuse spike-it (see picture for more details), using 17-lb fluorocarbon BP and 10-lb Seaguar invizX fluorocarbon leader. The spike-in was poured in the worm bag and covered entire worm changing the color from plain pumpkin to chartreuse pumpkin. The bass were caught at 8:30 am and 9:30 am on Hickey Island..............4th place team Jim and Jimmy Redmon made the long run up to the TXI plant and caught their fish on crankbaits and lizards.....5th place team Chad Alton and Chris Boulet caught their stringer at the other marina on watermelon flukes.......Someone fell out of their boat during the tournament briefing/prayer. We could hear the splash from where we were gathered........Two teams have already broken the points record and there is one more points tournament left this year..........Joe Lee and Mike Thurman are still wearing the yellow jersey, but there are 3 other teams within striking distance.

Top Ten Points leaders

Mike Thurman / Joe Lee..................59.36
J.D Foster.......................................56.10 (3.26 under)
Jon Griffin........................................53.74 (5.62 under)
Al Kohutek......................................53.53 (5.83 under)
James Cook / Dillon Cook...............49.26 (10.1 under)
Albert Love / Matthew Love............46.90 (12.46 under)
Kevin Davis / Byron McFarland.......44.91
Reggie Stewart / Tommy Stewart.....44.70
Brian Barfield / Kyle Barfield............43.77
Mike Aman / Mike Smith.................41.66

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Reggie introduced David Butler. David started fishing with us this year and he organizes the Lake Clark & Waxahachie weekly bass tournaments.

David read a passage from the Bible.

John 21:3-6

“I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

David said we should do what Christ tells us to do. Jesus told the disciples to throw the net on the right side and he was very specific about it. When the disciples did this they caught more fish than they could haul in. The reward for obeying was big. It's not always easy doing what Jesus wants us to do, but when we do the reward is everlasting life.

David quoted John 14:15
    “If you love me, keep my commands".

David kept the devo very short and simple. He reminded us to study the Bible, learn and keep fishing.

Bill Nolin took the stand and spoke to the club. The club has been praying for his family and Jerry Patterson's family. They wanted to thank everyone for the prayers and let the club know that they have been working. The two fishing partners were so grateful that they had a big cross made for Reggie (see the tournament pictures). Reggie then announced that he went from interim Pastor to full time Pastor at the Palmer Cowboy Church ( http://www.cowboychurchpalmer.com/ ) and that the cross is going to be placed in the church.

Bob Sandlin / Cypress Springs - June 25, 2011 6:00 am - 3:30 pm

Kenneth Mohone and Darrel Walden take 1st and big bass! Their 3 bass sack weighed 12.71. Darrel caught a 7.13 pound hawg that was big bass of the tournament. They caught their fish in the stumps on the other side of the bridge on Zoom speed worm (red bug color) around 7:15 am and 11:00 am. Total take home was $526.00.

Mike Thurman and Joe Lee took 2nd place with 12.69 pounds. They caught their keepers in the same area jigging slabs over the old road bed. All their big fish were caught late in the tournament and included a 5.22 pound kicker bass. They are leading the pack in points with a 9.24 pound lead.

LAKE CONDITIONS

The lake was low and most docks only had inches of water under them. There was not much grass around the lake. The air temperature was 73.4 - 95. The water temp was 82.   There was a little less than a 1/2 moon the night before. The barometric pressure started out at 29.88 ended at 29.85. It was flat from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm at 29:90.   The winds were blowing from the south east 7 - 16 mph with gust up to 24 mph and that helped keep us cool. The skies were cloudy in the morning and clear in the afternoon. The street light was out at the boat ramp when we launched but it was light enough to see on the lake when we took off after the prayer. Several of us stayed at Ragan's Overnight Lodging (1608 Farm Road 21, Mount Pleasant, TX 75455 (903) 572-7563) and had dinner at "Vaughan's Catfish On The Lake" The all you can eat catfish and shrimp was M’mm M’mm Good! The weigh-in was in the shade under the trees next to the fish cleaning stand.

THE RESULTS

28 teams fished
23 limits were caught (a limit is 3 bass 14 inches or greater)
1 teams zeroed
73 fish were weighed in with a weight of 196.3 pounds
2.68 pounds was the average fish weight

10% given to the church........$140.00
10% given to the club............$140.00
10% big bass pot..................$140.00 (pays 2 places)
$980.00 balance divided.....................first 43%, second 25%, third 15%, forth 10%, & fifth 7%

1st Big Bass: Darrell Walden.............................7.13-lb   $105.00    75% of the big bass pot
2nd Big Bass: Bud Benner.................................5.43-lb    $35.00     25% of the big bass pot

1st place team: Kenneth Mohone / Darrel Walden................12.71-lb    $421.00
2nd place team: Joe Lee / Mike Thurman.............................12.69-lb    $245.00
3rd place team: Darren Coslin / Bud Benner ........................10.74-lb    $147.00
4th place team: Mike Aman / Mike Smith.............................10.40-lb   $98.00
5th place team: Kevin Davis / Byron McFarland ..................10.30-lb   $88..00

Pictures:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Bob%20Sandlin%202011%2006%2025/?start=all

SCATTER SHOOTING

Doyle Ray is a good crappie fisherman! he wacked them in the trees on crankbaits.........3rd place team Darren Coslin and Bud Beener caught their limit at Cypress Springs on square billed crankbaits........4th place team Mike Aman and Mike Smith caught their sack on senkos, rattle snakes, and yellow magic.........5th place team Kevin Davis and Byron McFarland caught their fish on swim baits........Al Kohutek caught his limit in the first 10 minutes next to the Monticello dam on senkos and then upgraded a bass bass catching it in the trees near the ramp on an X-large senko.......James Croney caught a nice 4 pounder in the shade under a dock......Lisa Walden had a big one break off.....Al Kohutek went on vacation the morning after the tournament so this write-up is a little late getting sent out.

Top Ten Points leaders

Mike Thurman / Joe Lee......................................55.50
Jon Griffin............................................................46.26 (9.24 under)
James Cook / Dillon Cook..................................45.13 (10.37 under)
Al Kohutek..........................................................42.69 (12.81 under)
Doyle Ray / Noah Ray.........................................40.57
Albert Love / Matthew Love................................39.22
Kevin Davis / Byron McFarland...........................39.03
Darren Coslin / Bud Benner..................................38.09
J.D Foster ...........................................................37.97
Reggie Stewart / Tommy Stewart .........................36.99

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Reggie led a quick devo about how God wants us to stay level in our life. He discussed the things that can get us up and down out on the water. Then Mike Thurman gave a personal testimony about a "pay it forward" incident and how God is working in his life.

Reggie closed with a prayer for Tracy Derrick and his upcoming surgery.

Cedar Creek Lake - May 21, 2011      6:00 am - 3:30 pm

Two in a row! Congratulations to Brandon Wooddell and George Walker. They won at Athens and now Cedar Creek. Their 3 bass limit weighed 15.75 pounds with 6.56 pound kicker. The kicker was the big bass of the tournament. The fish were caught on jigs and DD22s mid-lake around boat docks and on points. Brandon and George are excellent anglers and have taken home more money than anyone else in the history of the club. This first place win was good for $676.00 that brings a total of $1,246.00 for the year!

Seth Kelm and Todd Stewart took 2nd place team with 13.75 pounds. Their sack was caught on peanut butter jigs. They caught the 2nd biggest bass of the tournament and it weighed 5.69 pounds. Seth is a new member in our club but is easy to spot with his Cabela’s boat wrap. Total winnings for Todd and Seth were $360.00

LAKE CONDITIONS

The lake was low and that made for some easy casting under the boat docks. There was no grass around the launch site. The air temperature was 66 - 82. The water temp was 74. An almost full moon lighted our way as we took off from ramp. The barometric pressure started out at 29.81, climbed to 29.89 by noon and then started falling to 29.84. The winds were blowing from the south east 6 - 16 mph with gust up to 23 mph. The skies were cloudy. On a side note, Ray Sasser reported in the Dallas Morning News on May 22 in "Outdoor Notebook" that Cedar Creek Lake bass show signs of disease. "Participants in a Cedar Creek Lake bass tournament last weekend reported catching numerous fish with open sores. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department fisheries biologist Richard Ott said it sounds like a bacterial disease called Columnaris. It’s always present in a fish population, Ott said, but manifests itself only when a fish’s immune system is depressed, usually by sudden temperature changes or spawning stress. Fish healthy enough to feed often recover from the disease, he said." Some of the bass we caught had these open sores.

THE RESULTS

36 teams fished
26 limits were caught (a limit is 3 bass 14 inches or greater)
5 teams zeroed
85 fish were weighed in with a weight of 246.77 pounds
2.90 pounds was the average fish weight
13 teams had at least 1 bass in their sack that weighed over 4 pounds.

10% given to the church........$180.00
10% given to the club............$180.00
10% big bass pot..................$180.00
$1,260 balance divided.....................first 43%, second 25%, third 15%, forth 10%, & fifth 7%

1st Big Bass: Brandon Wooddell.............................6.57-lb   $135.00    75% of the big bass pot
2nd Big Bass: Seth Kelm.........................................5.69-lb    $45.00     25% of the big bass pot

1st place team: Brandon Wooddell / George Walker........15.75-lb    $541.00
2nd place team: Todd Stewart / Seth Kelm........................13.75-lb    $360.00
3rd place team: Mike Thurman / Joe Lee.........................11.97-lb    $189.00
4th place team: David Lewis / Albert Love.......................11.08-lb    $189.00
5th place team: JD Foster..................................................10.30-lb      $88..00
6th place team: Aaron Davis…………………………......10.10-lb

Pictures:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Cedar%20Creek%202011%2005%2021/?start=all

Slide Show:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Cedar%20Creek%202011%2005%2021/?albumview=slideshow

SCATTER SHOOTING

6th place Aaron Davis caught his on watermelon brush hogs. Our apologies to Aaron. We thought he was in 5th place but we goofed up and missed another team with slightly higher weight. Big thanks Aaron for being a true sportsman about the situation..........5th place team JD Foster caught his on Yum Dinger and Strike King zero worms..........4th place team Albert Love and Davis Lewis caught their bass on bandit crank baits and zoom worms........3rd place team Joe Lee and Mike Thurman caught their bass on June bug color grubs and H2o Tennessee shad crank baits. They caught some of their bigger bass in the last few minutes of the tournament…....Jon Griffin caught his on senkos, buzz baits, and c-rigs........Al Kohutek caught his 3 on crank baits, and X-large senkos….........Some of the guys ran into a few problems. Reggie ran into some fog on the road that caused him to be late at the ramp…………Jon Griffin ran into something going under the 198 bridge that bent his stainless steel prop. It’s bad enough that he is going to have to have it repaired…........Mike Grove’s lure ran into a snake. He had to sacrifice his lure and cut his line so the snake could go free………….Bob Fogarty ran into a fishing lure. Somehow got hooked in his leg and his hand. It was the biggest catch of the day......Doyle Ray had battery problems……......Reggie and Tommy Stewart had battery problems too. They were broke down by the ramp and when Randy Crabb found out he showed Reggie where a brush pile was close to the ramp. They caught their biggest fish fishing right next to Randy. Hats off to Randy for helping another team locate fish……......Tim Casbeer's just got his trolling motor out of the shop and found out that it only worked on full speed (102 pound thrust)….…..........Joe Lee and Mike Thurman are now in the lead for the AOY race.

Top Ten Points leaders

Mike Thurman / Joe Lee....................41.81
James Cook / Dillon Cook................38.75 (3.06 pounds under)
Jon Griffin.........................................37.58 (4.23 pounds under)
Al Kohutek.......................................33.75 (8.06 pounds under)
Doyle Ray / Noah Ray......................33.54 (8.27 pounds under)
Jimmy Redmon / Jim Redmon...........29.97
Albert Love / Matthew Love.............29.84
Reggie Stewart / Tommy Stewart......29.84
J.D Foster........................................28.98
James Croney / Billy Marteniz...........28.91

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Reggie led a quick devotional about the May 21st doomsday predictions that was made by the radio evangelist Harold Camping. Camping predicted the date of the Rapture to be September 6, 1994. Reggie said he was wrong then just as he was wrong about the new prediction for May 21, 2011. Reggie quoted what Jesus said from the book of Matthew.

Matthew 24:36
   “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father"

Reggie said he does not know why this guy wanted to predict the end of the world but speculated that he wanted to scare us.    He said the predictions made him look like a fool and it gives ammo to the atheist.

Reggie reminded us not to follow false prophets and to read our Bibles. God's word is clear. Follow the word, believe in Him, and we will have eternal life.

Dennis Lambrecht led the closing prayer

Lake Athens - April 30, 2011 6:00 am - 3:30 pm

Congratulations to Brandon Wooddell and George Walker. They caught the best sack of the day weighing in at 8.51 pounds. George said they caught their winning stringer on finesse worms. Their kicker fish weighed 5.65 pounds and was the 2nd biggest bass of the tournament. Their total payout was $570.00.

Jimmy Redmon caught the big bass of the tournament. It weighted 5.74 pounds. The Redmons actually caught 2 bass over 21 inches on rattle traps and Carolina rigs but because of the rules only weighed in 1. They did not catch any under 14 inches. Their one fish sack was good for $217.00 ($131.00 big bass & $85.75 for 5th place)

LAKE CONDITIONS

The lake looked to be about 1-ft low.   The air temperature at 6:00 AM was 64.9 and climbed to 70 by the end of the tournament. The water temp was 73 - 75.   There was a sliver of a moon the night before. The barometric pressure started out at 29.69, climbed to 29.79 by 11:15 am and then started falling to 29.72. The winds came and went all day. They were blowing from the south with gust up to 28 mph. Most of the day winds were 5 - 12 mph. It was sometimes even calm. There were cloudy skies most of the day with some very light sprinkles. Lilly pads were blooming and there was lots of grass in the lake. Everyone caught plenty of bass in the no keep slot. Most of the bass had already spawned.

THE RESULTS

35 teams fished
15 limits were caught (3 bass limit - see below for the limit info. Slot fish were not weighed)
8 teams zeroed
64 fish were weighed in with a weight of 97.52 pounds
1.52 pounds was the average fish weight

Slot bass definition (for our club)
If a bass is 14 inches or greater and less than 21 inches, it will be deemed a slot bass.

Legal bass (for our club)
Bass under 14 inches will be deemed legal.
Bass 21 inches or greater will be deemed legal (only 1 per team can be weighed in).
If a bass touches the 21 inch line it will be deemed a legal.

10% given to the church........$175.00
10% given to the club............$175.00
10% big bass pot..................$175.00
$1,225 balance divided.....................first 43%, second 25%, third 15%, forth 10%, & fifth 7%

1st Big Bass: Jimmy Redmon.............................5.74-lb   $131.25    75% of the pot
2nd Big Bass: Brent Edwards..............................5.65-lb    $43.75     25% of the pot

1st place team: Brandon Wooddell / George Walker.....................8.51-lb   $526.75
2nd place team: James and Dillon Cook.........................................7.78-lb   $306.25
3rd place team: Darren Coslin / Bud Benner..................................7.25-lb    $183.75
4th place team: Jon Griffin / Tom Kressley.....................................7.00-lb   $122.50
5th place team: Jim and Jimmy Redmon..........................................5.74-lb     $85.75

Pictures (cell phone):
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Athens%202011%2004%2030/?start=all

Slide Show
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Athens%202011%2004%2030/?albumview=slideshow

SCATTER SHOOTING

Al Kohutek found out the morning of the tournament that he had a trailer bearing froze up. Unable to trailer his boat to the lake he notified Reggie. Reggie immediately went into action and contacted Jim Love. Jim's partner was unable to make this tournament and Jim had room for Al in his boat. Big thanks to Jim for allowing a fellow competitor to fish out of his boat and thanks to Reggie for setting up the fellowship opportunity!............Reggie and Tommy Stewart did well at the water plant intake.........Joe Lee was messing with Al when he measured his "over" bass...............Dillon Cook made 4 cast and caught 4 bass in a row on a red rattle trap. It didn't take long for his dad to figure out that he better start throwing a rattle trap too. It paid off with a 5.52 pound bass...........Jon Griffin fished in the money again. His "over" bass just touched the 21 inch line.............When Charlie David's fish died, it cost him $216.00 in place winnings and big bass payouts. Ouch!!! .........Jon saved Al's big bass. He loaned Al some of his "Please Release Me" Sure Life powder..............Tim Casbeer and Mike Grove caught the biggest sack of unders. They did well on buzz baits. Normally these fish would have been in the money...............Father and son team James and Dillon Cook have taken the lead in AOY race.

7 teams weighed in a bass 21 inches or larger
Charlie David.......................5.98-lbs The fish was DOA and as a result had a 1/2 lb penalty deduction
Jimmy Redmon....................5.74-lbs caught on a rattle trap & C-rig (he actually caught 2 overs)
George Walker....................5.65-lbs caught on a finesse worm (he actually caught 2 overs)
James Cook........................5.52-lbs caught on a red rattle trap
Bud Benner/Darren Coslin...4.76-lbs caught on spinner & crank baits (They actually caught 2 overs)
Jon Griffin............................4.53-lbs caught on a chug bug
Al Kohutek..........................4.21-lbs caught on a x-large senko

Top Ten Points leaders
James Cook / Dillon Cook.....................31.45
Jon Griffin..............................................30.40
Mike Thurman / Joe Lee........................28.84
Al Kohutek............................................24.90
Doyle Ray / Noah Ray...........................24.02
Brad Morris / Kevin Hatcher..................22.59
Reggie Stewart / Tommy Stewart...........20.01
Jimmy Redmon / Jim Redmon................19.91

Nick Flecher / Cody Pratka...................19.89
Dee Cagle / Jackie Cagle.......................19.67

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Reggie led a quick devotional by saying that not everyone in the club attends the Cowboy Church. Our bass club members attend Baptist, Church of Christ, Catholic and many other Christian denominations. He said that church is a house of prayer and has nothing to do with religion. He went on to say that there are some critics of the Cowboy Church because we do church differently than some of the other Christian churches.....like wearing cowboy hats, blue jeans and even dancing. Reggie said even David danced before the LORD.

2 Samuel 6:14
Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the LORD with all his might

Reggie was basically telling us that we should not judge the way people do church. He also reminded us that some of our habits though not sinful, can be sinful if we do them in excess and let them control our life. Excessive drinking, smoking, dipping are some habits he mentioned. Excessive was the key word here and that even drinking too much Dr. Pepper could get us in trouble. Charlie David spoke up and reminded us that fishing too much or eating more than we should is another habit that can get out of control.

Joe Crouch made an announcement about the new Cowboy Church spots that are playing on 99.5 The Wolf. Jon Griffin help produce them and he gave us a
little more detail.

Charlie David led the closing prayer

Lake Texoma - March 26, 2011 6:00 am - 3:30 pm

Congratulations to 1st place & 2nd place teams Joe Lee / Mike Thurman and Jon Griffin! It was as close to a tie as you can get. Joe and Mike weighed in 9.93 pounds and Jon Griffin, fishing solo, weighed in 9.92 pounds. The difference was a drop of water in the bag and that drop was worth $182.00

Joe and Mike launched out of Highport marina. They fished a dock light and caught their limit before the sun came up. Their key lures were a black chatter baits and a H20 crankbaits. Later in the day they fished the big marina and caught a few keepers, but no upgrades. Their sack placed first and was worth $455.00. Joe and Mike had a strong finish last month on Lake Palestine and are now leading the pack for the Anglers of the Year title.

Jon Griffin could not get his boat started and drifted over to Burns Run Creek at the park next to the dam. It was there that he picked up 3 bass on 3 casts off a single stump sticking out of the sand. Jon also caught the big bass of the tournament. It weighed 5.15 pounds. Jon placed second and won $370.50 ($273 2nd place + $97.50 big bass). He caught his 3 best fish on senkos and another smaller one on a C-rig. His best 3 on that stump were caught late in the day around 2:00 pm.

James Croney and Billy Martinez took 3rd place team. Their sack weighed 8.61 pounds and was good for $91.00. James had motor problems too but was able to keep fishing with his trolling motor. They bagged a nice limit fishing on red worms in Big Mineral over rocks.

LAKE CONDITIONS

The lake was about 4-ft low. Sand, rocks, and boat docks were about the only structure to be found on the lake. Wood was scarce and there was no vegetation. The air temperature at 6:00 AM was 64 and climbed to 70 by the end of the tournament. The water temp was in the mid 50s to the high 60s depending on where you were at.   There was less than a 1/2 moon the night before. The barometric pressure was flat at 29.60 until about 11:00 AM. From 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM the BP rose to 29.72. Texoma can be mean when it's windy, and windy it was. At 6:00 AM it was blowing 20 mph out of the south and later switched to the west with gust up to 30 mph all day long. There was a few morning clouds but they got blown away early. Only a few bass had moved up to shallow water. Most were still out deep. We were a couple of weeks too early for the spawn.

THE RESULTS

26 teams fished
9 limits were caught (a limit is 3 fish, 14 inches or greater)
2 teams zeroed
45 fish were weighed in with a weight of 108.65 pounds
2.41 pounds was the average fish weight

10% given to the church........$130.00
10% given to the club............$130.00
10% big bass pot..................$130.00
$910.00 balance divided.....................first 50%, second 30%, third 10%, forth 5%, & fifth 5%

1st Big Bass: Jon Griffin............................5.16-lb $93.50    75% of the pot
2nd Big Bass: Brent Edwards....................4.49-lb   $32.50    25% of the pot

1st place team: Mike Thurman / Joe Lee................9.93-lb $455.00
2nd place team: Jon Griffin.......................................9.92-lb   $273.00
3rd place team: James Croney / Billy Martinez......8.61-lb   $91.00
4th place team: JD Foster ........................................8.51-lb    $45.50
5th place team: Doyle and Noah Ray.......................7.31-lb     $45.50

Pictures:
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Texoma%202011%2003%2026/?start=all

Slide Show
http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh311/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/Texoma%202011%2003%2026/?albumview=slideshow

SCATTER SHOOTING

Joe Crouch & Michael Walden rescued Jon Griffin after his trolling motor batteries went dead and his motor would not start. They gave Jon and his winning fish a lift to the weigh-in. Joe then went with Jon in his pickup truck to help him recover his boat across the lake at the other ramp. You do not have to look far to find examples of guys helping each other in this club...........Tim Casbeer broke a few rocks with his prop ..... ................Reggie was all greased up with sun screen. He had part of his ear removed a week ago due to skin cancer. Reggie gave all of us a warning and said we are not bullet proof and that we need to put on the sunscreen!.........Dillon Cook out fished his dad........Tim Casbeer helped take pictures......Al Kohutek caught a giant gizzard shad in the back of Little Mineral. He had a good practice day there the week before but must have sore lipped all the bass that were there because they were not biting during the tournament...............There was a caravan of trucks/boats following 2010 Anglers of the Year Joe Lee and Mike Thurman to Highport marina............Brent Edwards caught his nice 4.49-lb smallmouth on a bandit crankbait...........Doyle and Noah Ray caught their winning stringer on crank baits and jigs in Big Mineral............Next month we are fishing Lake Athens!

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Al Kohutek and Jon Griffin led the lake side devotional.

Jon started off by giving some history and an introduction on the book of Proverbs. He said "Beauty of Proverbs is the absolute beauty of Christianity. POWERFULLY SIMPLE AND STRAIGHT-FORWARD. Especially vital for men. SIMPLE, WISE, AND STRAIGHT-FORWARD INSTRUCTION FROM GOD".

Jon's favorite Proverbs are:

Proverbs 12:27

The lazy do not roast any game,
   but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

We are all hunters……..whether it's for bass, deer, or providing for our family. Be diligent in everything you do and you will enjoy the blessings

Proverbs 16:3

Commit to the LORD whatever you do,
   and your plans will succeed.

Simple and straight forward. Do something on your own without God’s assistance and prepare for a mess. Include God and enjoy success.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
   and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
   and he will make your paths straight.

God does not provide giant flood lights to allow you to clearly see your entire life before your eyes. Jon said he is convinced if we knew what would happen 30 years from now, we'd surely screw our life up. God gives us a flashlight, and guides our next step, down a rocky, winding, narrow, sometimes steep path. Trust in Him not for your next decade....but for your next step.

Jon then segued over to Al's favorite verse. He said "when Al first told him about Proverbs 16:11, I thought Al was joking". Jon said he read proverbs over and over and never saw this one. He thought it was amazing that this verse was written over 3,000 years ago and how perfectly it fit our club's bass tournament weigh-ins.

Al then took the stand and read.

Proverbs 16:11

Honest scales and balances belong to the LORD;
   all the weights in the bag are of his making.

Al said he caught wind of this verse from Alton Jones. Al began communicating back and forth with Alton about using this verse in our club devo. Alton told Al that this verse simple means........"God is COMPLETELY in control. We never need to cut corners to get anything that God intends for us to have and He will always meet our needs in His own perfect timing!"

Alton could not have said it any better and this is where Jon Griffin's day comes back into play. Jon's boat would not start this morning at boat ramp. He was stuck fishing on the opposite end of the lake. Jon had plans to make a long run to the other side of the lake, but God had different plans. Jon caught his fish in waters he would have never fished had it not been for the outboard motor breakdow. Jon is 100% convinced that the Lord was using him as an example, on this day, in front of all the club members. It could not have been more powerful testimony.

Al's footnotes in his Bible says.........."Whether we buy or sell, make a product or offer a service, we know what is fair and honest and what is unfair and dishonest. Sometimes we feel pressure to be dishonest in order to advance ourselves or gain more profit. But if we want to obey God, there is no middle ground: God demands honesty in every business transaction. No amount of rationalizing can justify a dishonest business practice. Honesty and fairness are not always easy, but they are what God demands. Ask him for discernment and courage to be consistently honest and fair".

A friend told Al that the rule to be honest is as old as the day is long. Deuteronomy is a re-telling of the law. In Deuteronomy we get a summary of the law re-told to Israel before entering Canaan. It's important that this one gets re-told while others did not. Honesty and integrity are important to God.

Deuteronomy 25:13-16 says God detests a dishonest person.

Bottom line...

There is only one Tournament Director in our life and his scales are perfect. What we do in life will be judged by God. The weights in the bag, they are of his making, he created the fish and blessed us with the ability to catch them.

Don't sweat it if you think the weigh-in is unfair. Too many guys let it ruin their day when they think the scales were off when their bag was being weighed or something happened during the tournament that they thought was unfair. It could be as little of a thing as an extra drop of water in the weigh-in bag. It does not really matter because God is in control!   If someone is dishonest it's not our worry. It's all part of God's plan and He will deal with them using His own scales and in His own time.

Lake Palestine - February 26, 2011      6:00 am - 3:30 pm

A new club record! Congratulations to 1st place team Brad Morris & Kevin Hatcher. Their 21.59 pound 3 fish sack set a new club record. They caught their bass on swim baits and rattle traps working the upper lake between FM 315 all the way up to the highway 31 bridge. They also caught the big bass of the tournament weighing in at 8.87 pounds. Brad and Kevin are brand new members. Welcome to the club!

Father and son team James Cook and Dillon Cook took 2nd place team with 17.39 pounds. This is the third best 3 fish limit in the club's history. They fished Kickapoo throwing 3/4 oz red rattle trap and flukes. Their two biggest bass were caught between 7:00 am and 8:00 am.

Al Kohutek fished solo and took 3rd place team. His sack weighed 14.72 pounds and was caught on x-large senkos in the Kickapoo area. He caught the 2nd biggest bass of the tournament weighing in at 7.66 pounds. This was Al's personal best tournament big bass.  He boated the bass around 2:00 pm on a large green pumpkin senko with the tail dipped in chartreuse dye. All of Al's bass were taken in 2-3 ft of water around stumps.

Joe Lee and Mike Thurman came in 4th fishing in Kickapoo and the upper end of the lake throwing crank baits and flukes. Their biggest bass was caught around 2:00 pm.  The word spread about Kickapoo being hot and several teams trailered to the ramp off FM 315. If you have ever launched there you know the ramp can be challenging. Joe and Mike pulled off the lake early at the Kickapoo ramp and being the nice guy that Joe is, he was there at the ramp helping the other teams load up their boats before the weigh-in. Joe and Mike are great examples of what this club is all about.

New club members Chris Richardson and Mitch Mays took 5th place fishing in Flat Creek. Their kicker bass weighed 7.50 pounds and was caught at 12:00 pm on a Texas rigged black and blue worm.

LAKE CONDITIONS

The lake was 1-2 ft low. The air temperature in the morning was 43 and climbed to 69 by the end of the tournament. The water temp was between 53 to 62 depending on where you were at. The water was cold at the dam and warmer in the upper lake. There was less than a 1/2 moon the night before. The barometric pressure was flat at 29.97 but started to fall at noon to 29.85. The winds were out of the south 10 mph with gusts to 15 mph. The skies were mostly cloudy with some drizzle. The sun peeked through the clouds around noon but disappeared soon after. The launch site was at Villages marina. The lake has been hammered all month with other bass tournaments. Giant sacks have been coming from the Kickapoo, but with the water low, access has been difficult.

THE RESULTS

35 teams fished
26 limits were caught (a limit is 3 fish, 14 inches or greater)
6 teams zeroed.
83 fish were weighed in with a weight of 263.50 pounds.
3.17 pounds was the average fish weight.

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