Cowboy Church Bass Club 2012 recap

Athens - May 18, 2013    6:15 am - 3:30 pm

George Walker seals the deal on a 1st place victory with a 7.63 pound "OVER"! He and Brandon Wooddell sack up 9.82 pounds and take home $675.00. Their first keeper was the big one. It was netted at 9:00 am and was caught on a Carolina rigged fluke. Their other 2 keepers were caught on a crank bait and a shaky head. Catching the "OVER" bass was huge in regards to the AOY standings. They are stomping the rest of the field with a 9.32 pound lead in the overall AOY point race. Congratulations Brandon and George!

LAKE CONDITIONS

The air temperature was 69-89. The water temperature was 73-79. It never rained, but at times the humidity hit 100%. The skies were overcast in the morning and sunny in the afternoon. The winds blew out of the south 10-13 mph with gusts up to 19 mph. There was half moon the night before. The barometric pressure started out at 29.89 climbing to 29.94 at 10:00 am then fell to 29.86 by the end of the tournament. The water clarity was clear and the lake level was a couple of feet low. The lake had grass everywhere. There was 1 reports of bedding bass but most had already spawned. All the teams reported catching lots of slot bass.

THE RESULTS

36 teams fished
17 limits were caught (This is a slot lake - a limit is three bass 14 inches or under with only one at 21 inches or greater)
7 teams zeroed
71 fish were weighed in with a weight of 92.29 pounds
1.29 pounds was the average fish weight

1st place: George Walker & Brandon Wooddell...................9.82-lb $541.00
2nd place: Dondi Markgraf & Kirk Markgraf.....................9.62-lb $315.00
3rd place: James Cook & Eric Cook......................................6.75-lb $189.00
4th place: Joe Chancy & Bud Benner....................................6.46-lb $126.00
5th place: Garrett Thomas & Bo Johnson..............................4.90-lb    $88.00

1st Big Bass: George Walker...................................7.63-lb $135.00
2nd Big Bass: Dondi Markgraf................................7.450-lb $45.00

Full results:
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints13.htm (see the Athens tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet)

Slide show:
http://s259.photobucket.com/user/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/slideshow/Athens%202013%2005%2018

Also see the pictures on our facebook page.

SCATTER SHOOTING

Slot lakes are tough on the TD and sometimes tough on teams who have bass that are close to the 14 inch mark. Three teams decided to use the courtesy board provided by the club TD to measure their bass that were close to the 14 inch line. The bass were legal at the time of the check, but the bass must have relaxed in the weigh-in bag while the teams waited in line for their turn at the scales. The relaxed bass expanded causing the length to increase just enough to push them over the 14 inch mark and that caused a penalty for 2 of the teams. This could happen to anyone who weighs in a fish that's right on the line. Shrinkage and expansion is unpredictable and over the years this has knocked out even some of our best teams, including several in leadership positions. It's tough on the TD because we are all friends and no one likes to DQ your friend's bass.............. Dondi Markgraf & Kirk Markgraf took 2nd. Their "OVER" was caught on the 3rd cast of the morning using a swim bait and their "UNDERS" were caught on a senkos..........James Cook & Eric Cook took 3rd place. Their "OVER" bass was caught at 3:00 pm on a red bug trick worm and their "UNDERS" were caught on finesse worms and flukes.........Joe Chancy & Bud Benner took 4th place. Their "OVER" was caught at 1:00 pm on a C-rig and their "UNDERS" were caught on buzz baits and senkos........Garrett Thomas & Bo Johnson took 5th. Their "OVER" was caught at 11:30 am on a C-rig and their "UNDERS" were caught on shaky heads and split shot flukes.......Jon Griffin got his iphone wet while trying to help revive George's big bass.......Brandon Wooddell caught a 10 pound catfish.....We are halfway through the season. 4 down, 4 to go.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Congratulations to Bryan and Kyle Barfield! They boated 3.14-lbs and beat Kenneth Mahone and Brent Edwards. Kyle and Bryan get free entry in the June tournament on Lake Fork.

See the Head-to-Head tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet: http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints13.htm

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Joe Crouch led the devotional. His message was about prayer and signs from God and his personal testimony on how he became a believer. He started us off by reading 3 scriptures.

Luke 11:1
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17
pray continually,

Luke 11:10
For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Joe said he was 13 years old when he was saved and told us how it happened. He said it occurred on a hot summer day while he walking home from fishing at Mt. Creek Lake. It was so hot outside he said "Lord I sure would like a Nutty Buddy ice cream right now". He said a few moments later an ice cream truck drove by him and hit a bump as it was going up the hill on Skyline Drive. The bump caused the back door on the truck to open and a whole box of Nutty Buddy ice cream cones slid out the back of the truck. The box landed just 5-ft from where he was standing. The truck kept going up the hill and the driver was unaware what had happened.

Joe said that truck was caring all kinds of ice cream bars, popsicles, bullets, Eskimo pies.....but it was the Nutty Buddies that fell out. He asked God for one and he got 12.

That was enough to convince him that God and prayer were for real.

Joe then read Deuteronomy 5:27 to segue to the next story.

Deuteronomy 5:27
Go near and listen to all that the Lord our God says. Then tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey.”

Joe then told us about the time he was fishing on Lake Waxahachie. It was one of those rare days when the conditions were just right for catching, and catching they were doing....all the fish were being caught in this one particular spot. It was so good of a spot that there was not much that would get him to leave, but God was talking to him. Not in a typical conversation way but God gave him a sign that there was something wrong on the lake, and he needed to leave his hot fish spot. Well, he left and headed toward the swimming hole and found 7 high school kids attempting to swim across the lake. Five of the seven were on the verge of drowning because they were so exhausted. He loaded five of them up and took them back to shore. Two of the seven were in good shape and they refused to head back to shore. After Joe dropped the 5 off, he went back to the hot spot and resumed the fantastic fishing. A short time later he receive another sign that things were not right with the two boys that he did not pick up. So he pulled up again and left to check on them. He found them on the verge of drowning......they were so weak that they could not even get in the boat. Joe saved all 7 because he received a sign from God that someone was in trouble and needed his help.

Joe read his favorite passage.

Matthew 19:26
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Reggie closed us with a prayer and we were dismissed.

Ray Roberts - April 27, 2013    6:30 am - 3:30 pm

This is Joe Crouch and Darrell Walden's house! They own every 1st place on this lake. Since 2006 the club has fished this lake 3 times and every time the Crouch/Walden family hit a home run. This year was no exception. Joe and Darrell take first again with 13.27 pounds. They caught the winning sack on magnum red bug zoom lizards, sidewinders June bug (almost black looking), and finesse June bug worms. Fishing the state park cove, the first fish (a 4.85 pound kicker) was caught at 8:30 am. They caught about 2 fish an hour and all their keeps came from a 200 yard stretch in 3-8 ft of water. Their last big keeper was caught by Darrell at 2:00 pm. They took home $451.00.

Congratulations to Jim Love! He caught big bass of the tournament on a watermelon red lizard. It weighed 7.84 pounds and was good for $112.00.

LAKE CONDITIONS

The air temperature was 61 and dropping. By 11:00 am it hit 59 degrees. The sun came out around 2:00 pm and started to warm things up. We hit 71 by the end of the tournament. The water temperature was 63. The winds blew hard out of the WNW and NW 15 MPH with gusts to 19. Some anglers reported they have never seen the lake so rough. At 2:00 pm the winds calmed to 3 mph.    There was full moon the night before. The barometric pressure started out at around 30.03 climbing to 30.12 by 1:00 pm and then fell to 30.05 at the end of the tournament. The skies were cloudy until 2:00 pm. The water clarity was clear to muddy depending on where you were at. We launched out of the Sanger Marina ramp and it was in great condition. We have had cold spring this year and no one reported seeing fish on beds in the shallow water. Many think the spawn was going on, but in deeper water.

THE RESULTS

30 teams fished
13 limits were caught (a limit is 3 bass 14 inches or greater)
8 teams zeroed
57 fish were weighed in with a weight of 183.64 pounds
3.22 pounds was the average fish weight

1st Big Bass: Jim Love...................................7.84-lb $112.00
2nd Big Bass: Albert Love.............................5.40-lb    $37.00

1st place team: Joe Crouch / Darrell Walden..................13.27-lb $451.00
2nd place team: George Walker / Brandon Wooddell.....11.97-lb $262.00
3rd place team: David Butler / Gene Dodson..................11.78-lb $157.00
4th place team: Albert Love / Tony LeCount..................11.31-lb $105.00
5th place team: Charley David........................................11.20-lb    $73.00

Full results:
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints13.htm (see the Ray Bob tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet)

Pictures: http://s259.photobucket.com/user/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/library/Ray%20Roberts%202013%2004%2027?sort=2&src=wap&page=1
Slide Show: http://s259.photobucket.com/user/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/slideshow/Ray%20Roberts%202013%2004%2027

Also see the pictures on our facebook page.

SCATTER SHOOTING

The 2nd big bass was caught by Albert Love on a watermelon candy red baby brush hog......Charlie David placed 5th using watermelon red lizards......David Butler and Gene Dodson placed 3rd using zoom trick worms.......George and Brandon placed 2nd on watermelon red flukes and of course a jig.........Noah Ray had a 8 and 5 pounder break off at the net on crank baits. Ouch!.......Tim Casbeer thought the lake was still a slot lake........Brandon and George forgot to set their alarm clock................We had a new team join up. Welcome Ralph Gomez and Bruce Griffith! Also welcome Zachary Hayden!............Al Kohutek and Jon Griffin caught their 2 big bass during the first 30 minutes of the tournament on C-rig lizards over a weed line 10 feet off a sandy point. Their third keeper was caught on a buzz bait over a shad spawn next to the bank........Al and Doyle both caught a crappie.....Darren Coslin lost a 10 pounder and that made him sick..........Jon Griffin would neither confirm or deny that he was trailering to Buck Creek.........Thanks to Charley for having a chest full of ice cold water at the weigh-in.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Congratulations to Danny Stokes and David Lewis! They boated 6.52-lbs beating Mike and Joey Aman. Danny and David get free entry in the May tournament at Lake Athens.

See the Head-to-Head tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet: http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints13.htm

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Joe Lee led the devotional. He started out with a recap of the last tournament. Scratching his head, he could not figure out what went wrong on Richland Chambers. He and Mike weighed in just one bass and he asked the question "Just how much control do we have over fishing?" He said "I have fishing skills" (evident by the 3 angler of the year titles), "but those skills don't always mean I am going to win the tournament".

He then asked us to think about any action movie where there is a villain and a good guy. The good guy usually has crime fighting skills, but he always has a sidekick who has his back. That sidekick usually takes a bullet or helps them get through a tight spot when the going get rough.

Joe said we all have a bullet with our name on it and Jesus is our sidekick that's going to take the bullet for us and with God's grace we will overcome the villain.

Joe then quoted his pastor. "The only need to be a recipient of God's grace is to know you need it. The only thing you have to have to receive God's grace is nothing, but so few have."

Joe's quote reminds us of Ephesians 1:7-8

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding.

Charley then asked if we had any prayer request and Mike Callahan asked us to pray for Jason Pack.

Joe Crouch closed us with a prayer and we were dismissed.

Richland Chambers – March 23, 2013    7:00 am - 3:30 pm

Al Kohutek and Jon Griffin almost break the club record with 20.02 pounds! 1st place stringer, 2nd place big bass, and winning the Head-to-Head competition nets them a $581.00 pay day. Their big bass was caught on a twin tail grub under a dock at 7:30 am and the other 2 bass were caught next to some rocks on the north end of the lake using C-rigs and glitter gold zoom baits around 11:00 am.

Brandon Wooddell catches big bass of the tournament! It weighed 8.31 pounds and was good for $120.00. He caught it on a Storm swim bait around 11:00 am. Brandon said after he caught the bass, it spit up an 8 inch yellow bass. Brandon and George Walker also took 5th place team and caught the rest of their limit on C-rigs.

LAKE CONDITIONS

The air temperature was 48-53 and the water temperature was 59-60. The winds blew all directions starting out NE, then ENE, EAST, SE, ESE, SSE, Calm, ESE, NW, and finally SW up to 12 mph. The lake level was about 4.5-ft low. The water clarity was kind of murky. There was almost a full moon the night before. The barometric pressure was flat at 29.80, then at 9:00 am it climbed to 29.86. At 11:00 am it started falling to 29.71. The skies were cloudy with sprinkles. There was a heavy rain at 2:30 pm. We launched out of Oak Cove Marin. The water was so low that only one side of the boat ramp was usable. There was an $8 launch fee and a nice restaurant at the marina.

THE RESULTS

32 teams fished
19 limits were caught (a limit is 3 bass 14 inches or greater)
5 teams zeroed
67 fish were weighed in with a weight of 228.88 pounds
3.45 pounds was the average fish weight

1st Big Bass: Brandon Wooddell…………….8.31-lb $120.00
2nd Big Bass: Al Kohutek...............................7.73-lb    $40.00

1st place team: Al Kohutek / Jon Griffin...........................20.02-lb $481.00
2nd place team: David Butler / Rico Nicholas...................17.98-lb $280.00
3rd place team: Doyle Ray...............................................16.01-lb $168.00
4th place team: Dondi Markgraf / Kirk Margraf................14.69-lb $112.00
5th place team: George Walker / Brandon Wooddell........13.60-lb    $78.00

Full results:
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints13.htm    (see the Richland tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet)

Pictures:
http://s259.photobucket.com/user/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/library/Richland%20Chambers%202013%2003%2023

SCATTER SHOOTING

2nd place team Rico Nicholas and David Butler caught their amazing 18-lb sack on jigs and C-rigs. It was hard to believe that this was a second place stringer!........3rd place team Doyle Ray caught his 16 pound sack on jigs, crank baits, and chatter baits. He also caught 17 hybrids stripers over 5 pounds at the dam..........4th place Margraf team caught their bass on c-rigs..............Misty Edwards caught a big catfish on a rattle trap.......Reggie thanked the rain and no rain coat for their limit......About 1/2 way to the lake, Joe and Mike forgot the scales and had to turnaround and drive back to the house to get them......Jon Griffin lost reverse on his outboard. He also got ants in his paints on the drive home.........Kyle Barfield had to leave at 11:00 am so he could make a friend's wedding (must have been his best friend to leave a tournament when the fishing was hot).....Darren Coslin was the closest to guessing the winning weight on facebook. He won a club decal........Doyle Ray is the man on top! He is leading the points race by 1.95 pounds.......The next tournament is at Ray Roberts.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Congratulations to Al Kohutek and Jon Griffin! They took on Harrison VanCleve and Terry VanCleve. Al and Jon get free entry in the April Tournament at Ray Roberts.

See the Head-to-Head tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet: http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints13.htm

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Jon Griffin led the devotional. He started out with an introduction and told us about how he follows scripture posts from Bassmaster Pro Alton Jones on facebook.

He read two of Alton’s most recent scripture posts:

John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Isaiah 40:31
but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

Jon said life will be tough, but trust in God and he will get you through it. He told us a story using an analogy.....“You have boarded a flight at DFW airport and you’ve smartly requested an exit row seat. Not only to have extra leg room, but to have 1st access at the exit door in the rare case of a problem.

A few minutes after takeoff, you’re cruising at 30,000’ and the flight attendant makes her way down the aisle, and whispers to you that soon the aircraft will be experiencing major mechanical problems. She tells you at 25,000’ you’ll need to jump from the plane to survive. This airplane is definitely going to crash and everyone in it will all die. She then offers you a parachute backpack which you very gladly accept, then strap on, and strap on tight.

A funny thing happens. It starts to feel a bit cumbersome, it’s hard to sit up straight, your lower back is starting to ache. Then other passengers notice and start pointing, talking, and mocking you. Regardless what they say, you have an incredible peace and joy and amidst the discomfort and strange looks. Your thoughts are this plane is going down, and you are going to survive! Then the flight gets bumpy and really rough. Your PEACE & JOY increases, as the rest of the passengers start to become anxious & terrified.

The flight attendant now is walking down the aisle with a large pot of boiling hot coffee. As she walks by you, she stumbles and dumps the entire pot of boiling coffee directly on your lap. You reaction is obvious.   You scream in agony, but do you unstrap the parachute and throw it to the ground and blame it for your pain? Of course NOT! You pull the straps even tighter…now looking forward to jumping out of that plane. You are in intense agony but the parachute is strapped tightly to your back continues to bring you PEACE & JOY.

I’m sure you can see the LIFE analogy I’m making here. Everyone one of us standing here today on the shores of Richland Chambers are on this plane that is destined to crash.

The spiritual backpack parachute is a free gift by faith in Jesus Christ. It’s yours, but it will do you no good unless you strap it on your back. If your parachute is stowed in the overhead bin, it’s worthless."

Ephesians 6:13
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground

Jon asked us all to strap on our spiritual parachute. The absolute guarantee is the flight is going to get really bumpy, but take heart, this is the promise…..Jesus Christ has your back!"

Charley David then closed us with a prayer and we were dismissed

Lake Palestine - February 23, 2013    6:30 am - 3:30 pm

Congratulations to Bryan Barfield and Kyle Barfield! They sacked up 14.65 pounds and caught the big bass of the tournament. The 7.34 pound hawg was caught early on a c-rig fluke in shallow water. They fished behind and around the Kickapoo bridges. Total take home was $752.

LAKE CONDITIONS

It was a cold week leading up to the tournament and a cold morning to kickoff the 2013 season. The air temperature was 34-58 and the water temperature was 50-54. The winds were calm to 7 mph but at 2 pm the wind picked up to about 12 mph with a few gusts. The wind direction shifted several times during the tournament....blowing north, northeast, and finally northwest. The lake level was almost full at 344.10 ft (0.90 feet below full pool of 345.00). The water clarity looked about normal. There was almost a full moon the night before. The barometric pressure started out at around 30.04 climbing to 30.06 by 7:00 am and stayed flat until around 11:00 am, then started falling to 29.98 by weigh-in. The skies were clear and sunny, no dew, and no fog. We launched out of the Villages Marina and the ramp was in great condition with plenty of parking and a place to beach your boat. All but 1 of the winning sacks came from Kickapoo. Most thought the fishing was tough and that was evident looking at the how many teams zeroed.

THE RESULTS

40 teams fished
14 limits were caught (a limit is 3 bass 14 inches or greater)
11 teams zeroed
65 fish were weighed in with a weight of 195.64 pounds
3 pounds was the average fish weight

1st Big Bass: Bryan Barfield................................7.34-lb $150.00
2nd Big Bass: Doyle Ray.....................................6.09-lb    $50.00

1st place team: Bryan Barfield / Kyle Barfield...................14.65-lb $602.00
2nd place team: Brandon Slavak / Jeremy Elliott................13.71-lb $350.00
3rd place team: Jeff Harrington / Rick Newton.................13.29-lb $210.00
4th place team: Mike Thurman / Joe Lee...........................12.94-lb $140.00
5th place team: George Walker / Brandon Wooddell........11.98-lb    $98.00

Full results:
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints13.htm (see the Palestine tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet)

Pictures:
http://s259.beta.photobucket.com/user/Cowboy_Church_Bass_Club/library/Palestine%202013%2002%2023

SCATTER SHOOTING

Doyle Ray had a nice sack. He also had the 2nd big bass of the tournament and it was caught on a chatter bait up in Kickapoo.......Brandon Wooddell and George Walker placed 5th and were the only winning team not to fish in Kickapoo. They loaded up on Jigs fishing mid lake and in "Old Folks"......Joe Lee and Mike Thurman took 4th on June bug lizards in Kickapoo.......Jeff Harrington and Rick Newton caught the 3rd place sack using red rattle traps........Brandon Slavak and Jeremy Elliott took 2nd throwing spinner baits. Another round of congratulations needs to go out to these guys. They won the Ennis Bass Club tournament the next day on Palestine with a 9.55 and 6.32 pounder!...........Jon Griffin's 4-lb bass somehow jumped out of the livewell on the ride back to the launch ramp. Luckily it landed back in the boat. He caught his on a speed craw way in a Kickapoo creek.........Several of us ate at the Purple Pig in Flint the night before. They had some pretty good BBQ............ A few teams lodged at the Lake Palestine Motor Inn. The rates were reasonable and it was only 8 miles to the launch ramp.........Joe Crouch got his first scratch on the new trailer......Tim Casbeer had motor issues and left early.....Mike Thurman and Joe Lee were towed in by the winning team.........Charley's dog must have ate some chili or something because it pooped all over his boat.......Al Kohutek and John Hayden got their props eaten up by the Kickapoo stumps and several guy busted or bent their trolling motors during practice.......Mike Callahan hired a guide that put him on some hot spots a few weeks before the tournament. All the cold weather we got just before the tournament must have given those fish lockjaw.....Jon Hayden had a nice 9-lb sack but was late to the weigh-in by 2 minutes........ It's a good thing we have 7 more tournament left because a lot of us have some catching up to do!

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Congratulations to Joe Crouch and Darrell Walden! They boated 5.62-lbs beating Pat McCaskil and Hubert Smith's 2.30-lbs. Joe and Darrell get free entry in the March tournament at Richland Chambers.

See the Head-to-Head tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet: http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints13.htm

LAKE SIDE DEVOTIONAL

Charley David led the devotional. He spoke on an topic that was close to his heart and that was the Lord's Love and Grace.

He wanted to make it clear that the only thing you need to be saved is to accept Jesus Christ as your savior. That's it!
Then we try and follow in his footsteps.

Charley said another misnomer is that when we become Christians that we have to give up the good life. He said he has never known anyone who had to give up the good life.

God wants to have a personal relationship with us....ask for advice and forgiveness.

Charley's devo was about love and he read 2 scriptures.

1 John 4:8

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Charley said love is the what the club is all about. It's the club's main focus and no matter who wins, no matter who cuts us off, no matter who does us wrong, we need to follow in Christ's footsteps and love them.

Jon Griffin then closed us with a prayer and we were dismissed.

Home|Web Author