Cowboy Church Bass
Club
2023 Northern Division
Tournament Recap
Lake Whitney
September 23, 2023
By Al Kohutek
J.D. FOSTER SMACKS ‘EM
Fishing alone in the last
tournament of the year, J.D. Foster caught them early on Pop-Rs and
Texas rigged worms. From 8am to 11 he hit a dry spell, then at noon he netted
his 5.36-lb kicker to win 1st place with
13.23 pounds.
2nd place and only 6-ozs behind first, father-son team Albert
and Matt Love brought 12.86 pounds to the scales with a
8.70-lb kicker.
Their fish were caught mid to upper lake on crank baits and shaky
heads. The 8.70-lb kicker was caught by Albert
on a whopper plopper.
Not only was this hawg the Big Bass of the
tournament, it is also the big bass of the year.
3rd place - Gary
Burnham & Don Halzman from the Central Division
(Austin Reel) brought 9.94-lbs to the scales including a 6.08-lb anchor
bass. These fish were caught on Ned Rigs
and drop shots in 20-30 food deep water off cliff bluffs.
4th place went
to Gus Chavira & Toby Turner from the
Central Division (Austin Reel). They
caught their bass on green pumpkin flukes in 10-12-ft of water.
5th place
team - Bob Reed and Byron Koening from the
Central Division (Austin Reel), caught them shallow mid lake on green pumpkin
shaky heads.
|
Whitney 9/23/2023 |
#of
fish |
Big bass |
Team Weight |
Total points |
Winnings |
|
Notes |
|
J.D Foster |
3 |
5.36 |
13.23 |
200 |
$430.00 |
|
1st |
|
Albert Love Matt Love |
3 |
8.70 |
12.86 |
199 |
$393.00 |
|
2nd ($250
+ $143 Big Bass = $393) |
|
Gary Burnham Don Halzman |
3 |
6.08 |
9.94 |
198 |
$150.00 |
|
3rd |
|
Gus Chavira Toby Turrner |
3 |
|
6.03 |
197 |
$100.00 |
|
4th |
|
Bob Reed Byron Koenig |
3 |
|
5.52 |
196 |
$70.00 |
|
5th |
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/3CRYR9T1oAPXRf6D9
Full results (see the Whitney tab at the bottom of the
spreadsheet)
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints23NorthDiv.htm
LAKE CONDITIONS
The lake level was 8.09-ft
low. Water clarity good. Air temp was 78 - 98. Water temp 81. We ended the tournament at 1pm
due to the heat. Winds were 9-16 mph
with one gust to 23mph. Our launch site was McCown Valley. No aquatic vegetation. Weigh-in was comfortable under the shade
trees with the breeze. The gate to the park opened at 6am. The lake was hammered
Thursday and Friday by individuals practicing for the Media championship
tournament. https://mediabass.com/2k23/POSTSEASON/championship2.shtml Their championship was same day as our tournament,
and they struggled to boat bass.
SCATTER SHOOTING
Charley David’s motor would not start…..One angler found some hard
rocks just under the water……Brent Stanford fished in his new boat…..John
Yohner kept score for the club…..The Central
Division fished with us and was in the money 3 of the 5 paid places……Several
guys caught stripers and said they were very skinny…..Most of the guide boats
were stacked up around the island…….several dead catfish were seen floating
around the lake……The lights were out at the ramp and Bill
Shelnutt helped guide the boats down a dark ramp…..
LAKESIDE DEVO
Bill Shelnutt gave his
personal testimony.
Psalm
29:3
The voice of
the Lord is over the waters….
A little background - Bill
was Born in Georga, raised in Florida, joined the Air Force in South Dakota,
transferred to Alaska. Each time he had
to learn a different style of fishing.
Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is
good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Bill gave us his testimony
as he worked various Chaplin roles in the Air Force and how he met his wife and
fell in love in 1976. He also told us
about his adventures as an Army reserve Chaplin in New York and Vermont.
His 3 key points were:
1)
Read your
Bible. Read it over and over from front
to back. God will reveal different
things each time you read it. He
challenged us to read the entire Bible each year.
2)
God has a mission
for everyone. He had everyone at the
tournament repeat after him…..“God has a mission” We need to Listen to what God is saying and
follow that mission.
3)
Pray for your
church. Bill handed out a pamphlet
titled “Targeted Prayers For Your Church” See https://www.prayerleader.com/targeted-prayers-for-your-church/ There are 31
in this guide that we all need to pray for.
If you didn’t receive a pamphlet at the tournament, click on the link to
see all the targets.
END OF THE YEAR
RECOGNITION - AOY
|
2023 Team Name |
Fairfield Feb |
Lewisville March |
Grapevine April |
Arlington May |
Benbrook June |
Cedar Creek July |
Fork Agust |
Whitney September |
Total Points |
|
Doyle Ray Thom Wilkins |
200 |
197 |
197 |
198 |
193 |
197 |
192 |
179 Dropped |
1374 |
Congratulations to team Doyle
Ray and Thom Wilkins. They
took our money in 5 of the 8 tournament and ARE the top anglers of 2023.
BIG BASS OF THE YEAR
Albert Love - 8.70-lb Lake Whitney 9/23/2023
BANQUET
NOTES
Date: October 28, 2023
Place: Charley and Donna’s Ranch in Italy, Texas. BBQ provided.
Bring a side dish to share. More details to come later.
Lake Fork
August 26, 2023
By Jon Griffin / Al
Kohutek
POWELL/CORPORON STICK A
FORK IN THE FIELD FOR THE W
The reigning AOY Team of Doug
Powell & Jerry Corporon did the Fork Shuffle by bagging a nice sack of unders to beat the field and take 1st with 3@ 5.11 on a
smoking hot Lake Fork Saturday August 26th.
Reminder, Lake Fork is a
slot lake with the regulations only allowing retention
of 16” and under, and/or one 24” and over.
No overs were caught during this event.
Doug and Jerry caught their limit throwing drop shots, wacky rigs, and a
quickly flipped chatterbait to a surfaced fish for
the victory.
2nd place was a
4.94 limit of unders for Mike Thurman &
young stick Brady Johnson throwing shaky heads & the infamous Joe
Lee grub.
3rd place went to Keith McMillan & Brandon Wooddell
with 3 @ 4.28 including the tournament big bass @ 2.23. Drops and shaky heads were the lures of
choice in 2-14’ of water.
Incidentally, Jon &
Pierce witnessed Keith boating a giant on 8 lb test,
with it only measuring 23.75 inches. Apparently,
Fork is loaded with those fish!
4th
place went to Brian Redman & Chase Wolf with a
limit of swimmers @ 3.77 throwing crankbaits and c-rigs.
5th place-out of the money-sister kiss goes to Team John Yohner & Al Kohutek with 3 @ 3.56. Twin tail grubs around boat docks in the
upper end of the were responsible for the 3 keepers. A dead fish knocked them out of the money. Ooooohhhh!!
|
Team |
#of
fish |
Big bass |
Team Weight |
Total points |
Winnings |
|
Notes |
|
Doug Powell Jerry Corporon |
3 |
1.79 |
5.11 |
200 |
$409.00 |
|
1st |
|
Mike Thurman Brandy Johnson |
3 |
2.14 |
4.94 |
199 |
$204.00 |
|
2nd Brandy Johnson sub for Joe Lee |
|
Brandon Wooddell Keith
McMillan |
3 |
2.23 |
4.28 |
198 |
$239.00 |
|
3rd ($239 + $117 big bass = $239). Brandon caught the big bass |
|
Brian Redman
Chase Wolf |
2 |
2.17 |
3.77 |
197 |
$40.00 |
|
4th 4.27 - .50 (DOA penalty) = 3.77 total weight |
|
Al Kohutek John Yohner |
3 |
|
3.56 |
196 |
|
|
5th 4.06 - .50 (DOA penalty) = 3.56 total weight |
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/jMDmxcJiES4S72R5A
Full results (see the Fork
tab at the bottom of the spreadsheet)
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints23NorthDiv.htm
SCATTER SHOOTING and
LAKE CONDITIONS
The lake level was 1.65-ft
low. Water clarity good. Air temp was 81 –
103. We ended the tournament at
noon. Winds were 8-12 mph. Our launch
site was https://www.lakeforkmarina.com/ The facility was good with shade trees, store,
restaurant, and plenty of room to beach our boats. The only issues we had was our rooms did not
have the air turned on before we arrived.
Our rooms did not cool down until about 2 am.
Jon Griffin led the devo,
and knowing how hot it was, promised to make it a single point devotional.
Mark 9:14-29
Jesus Heals a Boy
Possessed by an Impure Spirit
14 When they came to the other
disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law
arguing with them.
15 As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they
were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.
16 “What are you arguing with them about?” he
asked.
17 A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I
brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.
18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to
the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth
and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they
could not.”
19 “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus
replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?
Bring the boy to me.”
20 So they brought him. When the spirit saw
Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground
and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
21 Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has
he been like this?”
“From
childhood,” he answered.
22 “It has often thrown him into fire or
water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us
and help us.”
23 “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is
possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I
do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to
the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said,
“I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently
and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.
28 After Jesus had gone indoors, his
disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 He replied, “This kind can come out only
by prayer.
Jon shared his favorite
part was in verses 28-29. The disciples ask,
“why couldn’t WE drive out this demon?” Jesus replied, “YOU could not, but by
including ME in prayer you could.”
Jon’s single point, the
impossible is ONLY achievable through prayer.
In other words, whatever you think is impossible, only by including God,
can this be possible. Jon then asked
everyone what their own “impossible” was.
Then he led the group in prayer about that one “impossible” as Christ
directed.
So to you reading this: What is your “impossible”?
Why not lay it at
Christ’s feet?
Why
not now?
JULY 22, 2023
By Jon Griffin / Al Kohutek
TEAM KOHUTEK / YOHNER
SACK ‘EM FOR A CEDAR CREEK SMACKDOWN
On a
unseasonably cooler July day, Al Kohutek & partner/boat captain John
Yohner tossed twin tail hula grubs for a 3 fish
bag of largemouths @ 13.27 including the tournament
big bass @ 5.27 to take the win Saturday
July 22 on Cedar Creek Lake. John
christened his newest center console boat acquisition by contributing towards
the win with a nice bass to complete their stringer.
2nd place went to Brian Redman & Chase Wolf
with 3 @ 9.75 caught on crank baits & c-rigs in 10-15’ of water. Brian & Chase have now climbed up to 4th
overall for the season with their CC finish.
The 3rd place sack was weighed in by brothers Billy
& Rodney Pickard with 3 @ 9.61by tossing watermelon red Zoom trick
worms around boat docks. A solid day for
now their 2nd place season standings.
4th place went to Mr. Consistency & current season
points leader Doyle Ray fishing single with only 2 fish, but good ones @
8.53. Jigs & wacky worms were
Doyle’s go to’s.
And the “sister kisser-just out of the $$” award goes to Jeff
Harrington & Lynn McNeely with 3 @ 8.03 including a nice 4.11
kicker. Note, when we have less than 20 boats we only pay out 4 places, so 5th ain’t
too bad….
|
Team |
#of
fish |
Big bass |
Team Weight |
Total points |
Winnings |
|
Notes |
|
Al Kohutek John Yohner |
3 |
5.27 |
13.27 |
200 |
$555.00 |
|
1st
($432 + $123 Big bass) |
|
Brian Redman
Chase Wolf |
3 |
|
9.75 |
199 |
$216.00 |
|
2nd |
|
Rodney Pickard Billy Pickard |
3 |
|
9.61 |
198 |
$129.00 |
|
3rd |
|
Doyle Ray Noah Ray |
2 |
4.40 |
8.53 |
197 |
$43.00 |
|
4th |
|
Jeff Harrington Lynn McNeely |
3 |
4.11 |
8.03 |
196 |
|
|
5th |
Pictures:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/g8VNTEgt7D5PoPbT9
Full Results (click on the Cedar Creek tab at the bottom)
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints23NorthDiv.htm
· 19 teams fished (1 shy for paying 5 places)
· 10 limits weighed
· 38 bass weighed
· 2.60-lbs was the average bass size.
THE HOT SEAT
With two more tournaments
left in the Norther trail, Doyle Ray and Tom Wilkins have a 13 point lead in the AOY race.
The next two lakes are
going to be tough with the summer heat.
Will Doyle and Tom stay in the hot seat after the Fork tournament?
|
Bass Club |
|
|
|||||||||
|
Points |
|
||||||||||
|
dropped
lowest |
|
|
|
|
Dropped the lowest tournament / real points leader |
||||||
|
2023 Team Name |
Fairfield Feb |
Lewisville March |
Grapevine April |
Arlington May |
Benbrook June |
Cedar Creek July |
Fork August |
Whitney September |
Total Points |
||
|
Doyle Ray Tom Wilkins |
200 |
197 |
197 |
198 |
|
197 |
|
|
989 |
||
|
Rodney Pickard Billy Pickard |
193 |
199 |
193 |
193 |
|
198 |
|
|
976 |
||
|
Jon Griffin Pierce Johnston |
199 |
198 |
|
192 |
195 |
190 |
|
|
974 |
||
|
Brian Redman
Chase Wolf |
197 |
|
190 |
199 |
182 |
199 |
|
|
967 |
||
SCATTER SHOOTING
If you are having a
tournament launch at the Log Cabin ramp, be sure and contact them in
advance. I think this is a new procedure
required by the management. The launch
site and weigh-in area are probably the best on the lake. We had a great shady area next to the water.…..Charley David has the best launch maneuver……Al
Kohutek and John Yohner were relaxing and
napping under the bridge and they got word that a team was stranded, so they
towed it back to the ramp……Temps were not too hot….The lake was 2-ft low.
LAKESIDE DEVO
Al Kohutek shared his
testimony, as he can best describe as a life of Godly blessings.
James
1:17
“Every good
gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down
from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to
change.”
Al shared his life story,
and how it’s clearly evident that God has continued to
show His love in every aspect. Because
of his upbringing from his Catholic foundation, to his
move to a Church of Christ because of the similarities, God was guiding Al to a
closer relationship and complete biblical understanding of who God really
is. Al met and married Debby, who raised
4 children in a God centered home. God
continued growing and maturing Al in his Christian faith after moving onto Lake
Vilbig after attending a bible study at a home on the
lake, thus eventually buying a Vilbig home and
further connecting with Christian friends, including CCBC members Brandon
Wooddell, Jon Griffin, Pierce Johnston
and others. While working at Southwest
Airlines, God opened the door to a SWA bible study, helping to continue Al to
grow in his Christian walk and knowledge outside of a church. Some might call it luck, but Al credits God
to opening doors to purchase a Lake Whitney home next door to his family’s lake
house, where he & Deb moved full time in 2020. Now active @ Lake Whitney Open Range Cowboy
Church, Al has met many new Christian friends, has been to several youth church
camps, serves with IT & communication, even served on a mission trip to
Ecuador.
Al acknowledges that God’s
blessings have continued to overwhelm he & his family even in the face of
huge difficulties, tough medical diagnosis’s on his
grandson, and even a son-in-law tragically killed. No doubt, his greatest blessing is through
Christ who guarantees eternal life with Him.
How? Because Al believes &
follows Christ, and will all the days of his life.
Ephesians
1:3
“Praise be
to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the
heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”
Jesus is truly our
greatest blessing. Won’t you ask Him for
the spiritual blessing only Christ can fulfill?
In fact, do it today!
Benbrook
June 24, 2023
By Jon Griffin and Al
Kohutek
BARFIELDS HIT THE ROAD
FOR THE BENBROOK WIN
Father & son Bryan and
Kyle Barfield found a road bed across from the
ramp and bagged a limit of fatties for 14.76 and the
win on a tough Lake Benbrook Saturday June 24th. Worms were the winning lure for yet another
victory for the Barfields.
2nd
Place Joe Crouch celebrated his 76th birthday with buddy and
partner Kenneth Mahone by throwing c-rigs tipped with some Strike King
Rage Craws given to him by his super-stick grandson Joe. Their 13.02 three fish limit
were all caught on a point in 15-20’ of water.
John Yohner guided
partner/catcher Al Kohutek to a 3rd place sack of 2 fish @ 9.35 including a 6.78
pound kicker caught shallow in the buck brush with a Texas rigged twin
tail.
4th and the final money place went to Kevin Davis/Byron
McFarland with 3 @ 9.13 throwing c-rigs and 10” worms.
The tournament big bass @ 7.20
pounds was caught by Pierce Johnston & wonderfully and very
skillfully netted by Jon Griffin.
The bass came from an underwater point in 29 feet of water on a c-rigged
trick worm, and was perhaps his only bite of the day.
|
Team |
#of
fish |
Big bass |
Team Weight |
Total points |
Winnings |
|
Notes |
|
|
1 |
Bryan Barfield Kyle Barfield |
3 |
5.20 |
14.76 |
200 |
$386.00 |
|
1st |
|
2 |
Joe Crouch Kennith
Mahone |
3 |
|
13.02 |
199 |
$193.00 |
|
2nd 1 DOA (13.52 - .50 = 13.02) |
|
3 |
Al Kohutek John Yohner |
2 |
6.78 |
9.35 |
198 |
$116.00 |
|
3rd |
|
4 |
Kevin Davis Byron McFarland |
3 |
|
9.13 |
197 |
$38.00 |
|
4th |
|
5 |
Gene Collins
Daryle Hester |
3 |
4.63 |
8.55 |
196 |
|
|
|
|
6 |
Jon Griffin Pierce Johnston |
1 |
7.20 |
7.20 |
195 |
$110.00 |
|
Big Bass |
Pictures:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rC1xuG3GjsogyLVR6
Full
Results (click on the Benbrook tab at the bottom)
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints23NorthDiv.htm
CONDITIONS and SCATTER
SHOOTING
The lake was full…... We
got off to a late start due to the entrance gates opening at 6:00 am. We
anticipated this ahead of time, so we checked everyone in while waiting in line
at the gate…..
There was plenty of flooded vegetation around the lake shore….. It was hot and windy…...
Eight teams zeroed. Many
struggled during practice……. Good ramp with
plenty of parking. We had the perfect shaded
area for the weigh-in that was comfortable even in the heat. Jon Griffin was pleased with the background
for the pictures.
Charley David shared his his own personal
experience with the profound effect of the Holy Spirit with an opening
question: Does the Spirit lead you? Or do YOU lead you? Obviously we try to
lead our own lives and attempt to take it all on our own shoulders in just
about every case. But as we grow as
Christians, we should be quite aware that the Holy Spirit is there with us
every step of the way to guide our every step.
It is the Holy Spirit that taps us on the shoulder when we are presented
with decisions.
Charley shared what he
heard a preacher once say “if Christians stopped
watching porn the industry would be out of business!!” If only were listened more intently to the
Holy Spirit (God).
Romans
6:1-2
What shall
we say, then?
Shall we go
on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we
live in it any longer?
We know when God is
telling us to go one way yet we go another. And the more you listened to the soft voice
deep in your soul, the more you will recognize where that is coming from.
Joe Crouch shared that he said YES to Christ when he was 13, and
boy howdy did he feel it. Even to this
day!
Charley shared that he was miraculously saved at the age of 17
through a pretty wild circumstance. When
he was 15 he left home, headed west to Arizona and
Nevada on a wild cow contract. While he
was breaking wild mustangs way out in the middle of
nowhere, he and his fellow hands were given an rare once a month opportunity to
leave the ranch and go into town. They
ended up going to an evangelist revival, where the Holy Spirit gripped he and his buddies and He accepted Christ. He knew it was real then, and like Joe
Crouch, to this day!
Joe Lee shared about a book written by noted Christian
preacher Francis Chan “Forgotten God”.
Jesus told his disciples the were going to
have a very hard time fully believing and understanding their mission while
Christ was still with them. They would
only fully comprehend until Jesus had left and the Holy Spirit returned.
John 16:7
This is why
I am going away. The Holy Spirit cannot come to help you until I leave. But
after I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you.
Charley admitted he has done nothing good that God was not a
part of. Recognizing God’s presence
through the Holy Spirit is the key. If
you don’t, ask Him today!
LAKE ARLINGTON
By Jon Griffin
TEAM COOK HAS THE RECIPE FOR AN ARLINGTON W
Longtime members, and even longer time father &
son James & Eric Cook popped a frog & tossed a swim jig to take 1st
with 3 @ 14.15 including the tournament big bass of 7.36 Saturday May 20th on
Lake Arlington.
2nd place went to team Brian Redman & fill-in stick Chase Wolf w a 3 bass limit @ 9.97
throwing chatterbaits.
The 3rd place bag
was caught by the current points leader Doyle Raye & Tom Wilkins with 2 @
9.92 including a 5.75 kicker. Lure of choice was a 10-12” blue fleck worm.
And 4th
place team Sow did it again, that is Joe Crouch & Kenneth Mahomes
sacking a 3 fish limit @ 9.03 including a 5.73 lb
kicker for 4th place. Brushhogs on points was their top 4 tactic.
And since we had under 25
teams, the 5th place “sister kiss-just out of the $$” honor goes to
Donna David & her co-angler Charley with 3 @ 8.87.
1st James & Eric Cook
14.15 (2 pound deduction) 12.15
2nd Brian Redman/Chase
Wolf 9.97
3rd Doyle Raye/Tom Wilkins
9.92
4th Joe Crouch/Kenneth
Mahomes 9.03
Big Bass James Cook 7.36 lbs
Pictures
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KMURnkanV74seYHT8
Results (see the lake tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet)
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints23NorthDiv.htm
CONDITIONS
Air temp 62-79; water temp
77; Winds N 11-14; lake level .97’ below full
LAKESIDE DEVO
Jon Griffin shared a story
about about a traffic accident his daughter had, and
how God was with them before, during & after. A year last Easter Jon’s oldest daughter
Tatum was returning to Texas Tech in Lubbock the Monday after the Easter holiday. Jon was in Breckenridge working at the time
he received a phone call every parent dreads-she’d been in a car accident and
was presently stuck on the side of an overpass bridge on I-20 in Sweetwater. Obviously she was
quite emotionally upset as she described things. Of course, the father in me (Jon) was ready
to jump into action knowing I had to be superman and try to fix things. For whatever reason, I’m sure it was God
tapping on my shoulder, I stopped for just a moment and ask God very simply, “I
need you now Lord, my prayer has always been for my daughter’s lives to glorify
you, so I’m gonna trust You completely.”
Matthew 6:33
“But seek first
the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to
you”
But what are these
“things”?
Matthew 6:32 tells us “that the pagans run after all these THINGS, and your
heavenly father knows that you need these THINGS.”
Proverbs 16:3
“Commit your
work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
So I headed to Sweetwater, and while this was all an
unscheduled aggravation, God was truly working all things for His glory.
From the very helpful
police officer who gave Tatum a ride off the busy interstate and getting her
car towed, to the fact that Tatum was un-hurt, to the sweet time we had as
father & daughter as I drove her back to Lubbock, to the fact that it
wasn’t too late to drive straight back to Sweetwater by midnight, to the nice
hotel right there at the scene of the accident @ exit 246 and there being a
room available, to the fact that by the next day upon investigation her rim was
merely bent, to the search for a replacement rim at the last available Abilene
wrecking yard. EVERYTHING worked out,
while the pathway was not easy it was eased by His presence NO DOUBT! And there’s little doubt He was using this
experience to share, as such a time as this!
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the
Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways
ACKNOWLEDGE HIM, and He will make your pathway straight.”
Learning moment for
me? Whether I’m in a bind or the
opposite, follow what Christ said in scripture “abide
in my and I will abide in you.” In all things, run it by Him 1st. He doesn’t always steer you away from storms,
but He is ALWAYS with you through the storms.
Trust in Him. Why not today!?
NEXT TOURNAMENT, June 24th on Lake Benbrook
Charley David closed us in
prayer.
Grapevine
4/22/2023
By Jon Griffin and Al
Kohutek
WOODDELL/MCMILLAN EARN
THE DUB ON GRAPEVINE
Team Brandon Wooddell
& Keith McMillan went super shallow with a limit of 3 pounders for 8.95
and the win on a tough Lake Grapevine Saturday April 22nd.
The winning team caught
their bass throwing senkos & mojo finesse baits
in less than 5 feet of water. Interesting note, although they won the 2021 AOY,
this is their lone tournament win after 7 second place finishes since fishing
together since 2018. Brandon did win Fairfield in 2020 but with a
substitute partner in that event.
Charley David &
Dave Heckethorn scratched out 2nd by aggravating a bed fish.
Mike Thurman & Joe
Lee exploited their dam expertise
with a limit among the crowds for 3rd.
4th place went
to a consistent Doyle Ray and Thom Wilkins doing the shaky head
dance.
Unfortunately, since we had
under 20 teams, 5th place was dropped from the money, so the “sister kiss”
award goes to Gene Collins & Daryl Hester with a 6.51 sack.
One side note, the Tarrant
Open was happening on the same day as we shared the lake with another 70+
boats.
Jon & Pierce were not
really bothered by any crowds as they (we) fished up north and took the big ole
zero. Apparently, there is only 1 LMB in north Grapevine, the one we
accidentally threw back.
1st Brandon Wooddell/Keith
McMillan 8.95
2nd Charley David/Dave Heckethorn
7.53
3rd Mike Thurman/Joe Lee
6.94
4th Doyle Ray/Thom Wilkins
6.63
Big Bass Doyle Ray 3.66
Pictures: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QJcc4sCyTJcbEXHk6
Results (see the lake tabs
at the bottom of the spreadsheet)
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints23NorthDiv.htm
LAKESIDE DEVO
Longtime member Kevin
Davis shared the devotional beginning by modeling his “Net Man” cap. He started
wearing this as he captained his daughter Reagan during her high school fishing
team career. Kev shared that in team fishing it’s always a huge bonus to have a
good net man. He ask how many of us have lost a good
fish in the clutch? We all have of course! It’s crushing, we all still are
affected deeply by a good fish we lost years ago. We do tend to never forget
the ones we lost. Fact is, it’s difficult to handle
hardship all on our own. But a good net man, always there with a perfectly
timed and untangled net, is a huge part of team fishing success and mental
stability! So in life, outside of tournament fishing,
who is your net man? The one who said will never leave you nor forsake you? The
one who is always there to back you up in the toughest of times? Obviously Jesus is the answer the world needs. Kevin shared
that he’s been fishing with his best friend Byron for over 30 years. He wants
Byron to succeed as much as Byron wants Kev to succeed because of their love
for one another. Christ is the same, he wants us to grow, he wants a
relationship with us, He wants us to succeed as any father desires for his
children. And success in this world is simply a daily walk and relationship
with Jesus. God made this extremely clear and perfectly simple to understand in
His word.
John 3:16
For God so
loved the world that He gave His only son, so WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM, shall
not perish, but have eternal life.
Just like a good net man,
there when you need him the most, Jesus is here to rescue us all!
Luke
19:10
For the Son of man came to seek and save the lost.
Make Jesus your net man in
life. Why not ask him today!
JG closed us in prayer.
The Classic on Lake Waco
4/14
– 4/16/2023
By Al Kohutek
Congratulations
to Kory Grelle and Eric Olson from the Central Division.
They
take first and win $1,650.00. Kory’s anchor bass weighed 10.49-lbs and was
caught on a fluke. They limited both days around chunk rock and weigh-in a
total of 25.96 pounds. So far Kory has big bass of the year in both clubs.
Second
was won by Charley and Donna David. They took home $700.00. 15 teams competed for $4,000.00. 11 of the 15 teams took home moola.
See
the place, payout, and winning details on the website. Click on the lake tabs at the bottom of the
spreadsheet. The Classis tab is the last
one on the bottom.
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints23NorthDiv.htm
Pictures
https://photos.app.goo.gl/HRK7zqcgh39V97oQ8
Lake
Conditions
Practice
Day 1 – air temperature 59-72, wind 0-25 MPH.
Tournament
Day 1 – air temperature 63-82, wind 6-24 MPH cloudy in the morning, cold front
hit.
Tournament
Day 2 - air temperature 44-70, wind 0-12 MPH, sunny.
Water
temperature – 67-70
Lake
Level – 10.88 ft low
Water
Clarity – murky
No
grass, very little structure other than rocks, very low water conditions with
most of the boat ramps closed.
Scatter
Shooting
Some
teams stayed at local Airbnb’s…….Joe Lee fished as a
separate team with Charlie David on day 1 and then regrouped with their normal
partners on day 2……Darren Coslin was thrown out of
his boat during takeoff. See his fb page for the details……Charley had motor
problems on day 2……Al Kohutek received some very bad news at the start of the
tournament. He lost his son-in-law in a car accident……..There
was no lights at the ramp so some of the guys helped out by shinning their
flash lights to guide boats down the long steep ramp. It was much appreciated……There was a 3 fish
limit on day 1 (6 of the 15 caught a limit). There was a 5 fish limit on day 2
(5 of the 15 teams limited)……Gus and Toby were in the
lead on day 1, but their hot spots turned muddy on day 2 due to the winds at
the end of day 1.
Sundy
Morning Service Notes
Outlaw!
Or In-law? Charley
David delivered the Sunday Morning Message
Christ
took care of the law for us.
Romans 10:4 - For
Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a
result, all who believe in him are made right with God.
Do
you believe?
Romans 10:9-10 - If you
openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you
are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are
saved.
How
do you openly declare?
Galatians 3:26-27 - For you
are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been
united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.
John 15 4-7 - Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No
branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you
bear fruit unless you remain in me.
“I am the vine; you are
the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart
from me you can do nothing. If you do
not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such
branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and
burned. If you remain in me and my words
remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
John 15:4-6 - For you
are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been
united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes.
Ecclesiastes 10:14 - “they
chatter on and on. No one really knows what is going to happen; no one can
predict the future.”
******
Next
Tournament will be on Grapevine.
3/25/2023
By Jon Griffin
TEAM POWELL/CORPORON
WIN LEWISVILLE EVENT
Doug Powell & Jerry
Corporon snagged a decisive 1st place with their 3 fish limit @ 14.92 including
a 5.37 lb kicker on Lake Lewisville Saturday March
25th.
Conditions were near
perfect, but Lewisville lived up to its stingy self with only 8 limits weighed
in out of 22 teams. Near all of the fish weighed in were caught relatively shallow,
and it would appear as of late March the Lewisville bass were in a pre-spawn
phase. Also impressive were 5 of the
weighed bass were in the 5-6+ pound range.
1st Doug Powell/Jerry Corporon 14.92 $455
2nd Rodney & Billy
Pickard 12.45 $230
3rd Pierce Johnston/Jon
Griffin 11.80 $140
4th Doyle Ray 11.49 $50
Big Bass Billy
Pickard 6.08 $130
Pictures
https://photos.app.goo.gl/bACud1g3yTkycwUr6
Results
(see the lake tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet)
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints23NorthDiv.htm
Lakeside Devo
Longtime club member Les
Smith shared his insight and what he has learned from the book of Job. In a nutshell, the book of Job describes the
man Job as one of the world’s most wealthy men.
He had it all, money, livestock, land & a wonderful loving
family. Satan was given full reign by
God to do whatever he wished to Job, yet not kill him. Job lost everything, as in everything. But…STILL refused to blame or curse his
God.
These are the lessons of
Job that Les shared:
1-Suffering is
inevitable. Hardship is not
punishment. Bad things do happen to good
people (if you even consider any of us are actually good).
2-Worship of God does not
mean you will be removed from hardship.
Rather God will walk us through any difficulty, as He has said “I will
never leave you nor forsake you”.
3-You can have a right theology, but miss a true connection with God because life
is filled with so many distractions. The
devil is really good at producing distractions!
4-God never, ever, ever
leaves you, even in the deepest suffering.
In fact, most often, the deeper the valley, the deeper the relationship
with God. Or it should be!
5-Job shows us clearly
about suffering, just as Jesus suffered.
He knows our pain because he endured and overcame for us all. When you suffer, it’s fair to ask God why? He has a reason, we should trust Him, and
live in obedience.
How do you need to trust
God today?
Jon Griffin closed us in
prayer.
Fairfield
2/25/2023
By Al Kohutek
Doyle Ray and Tom Wilkins lead the club
Doyle Ray and Tom Wilkins
caught the winning weight with 14.31 pounds using C-rigs with blue fleck power
bait, Zoom Ol' Monster 10.5", and Berkley
Chigger Craws. Their hot spot was in the
cove to the right of the boat ramp where they could see hikers walking on the
bank closest to them. The C-rig’s
weights were light and that kept their baits above the grass. They caught about 19 nice size bass, including
7 that were over 18 inches long.
Big bass – Matt Love caught the big bass of the
tournament on a hard body swim bait at 2:00 pm
|
Team |
#of fish |
Big bass |
Team Weight |
Total points |
Winnings |
|
Notes |
|
Doyle Ray Noah Ray |
3 |
|
14.31 |
200 |
$528.00 |
|
1st
Tom Wilkins sub for Noah Ray |
|
Corey Panky Pierce Johnston |
3 |
|
14.27 |
199 |
$307.00 |
|
2nd |
|
Maurice Williams Scott Hill |
3 |
|
13.87 |
198 |
$184.00 |
|
3rd |
|
Brian Redman
Marty Redman |
3 |
|
13.37 |
197 |
$122.00 |
|
4th |
|
AJ Settle Pat Settle |
3 |
|
12.70 |
196 |
$85.00 |
|
5th |
|
Albert Love Matt Love |
1 |
6.89 |
6.89 |
187 |
$175.00 |
|
Big Bass |
Pictures:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SjqEaTfy83kAkSST8
Full results. See the tabs at
the bottom of the spreadsheet in the link below for the individual lakes:
http://www.cowboychurchbassclub.org/ccpoints23NorthDiv.htm
SCATTERSHOOTING
This will be the last time that Cowboy Church Bass Club
fishes Lake Fairfield because our State Park was sold to a developer. The lake officially closes on 2/28/2023. It is very sad that our Texas elected
officials didn’t step up and figure out a way to keep this park……. A few teams
got mixed up on which boat ramp to use…… Phil Hickle fell and had to
make a trip to the hospital. Please keep
him in your prayers…… 2nd
place Pierce Johnston and Corey Panky
were less than 1 ounce out of first.
They caught their fish on chatter baits and 3 inch swim baits…..3rd place Maurice Williams & Scott
Hill caught their fish on square bill crank baits ……4th place Brian
Redman & Marty Redman caught their bass on rattle traps…...5th
place, not sure what they used….Al Kohutek and Lee Davis caught
their bass on giant senkos around stumps in old lily
pad stems…. The park gate was open very early in the morning, so there was no
waiting in line at the park gate and the lake was not as crowded as we thought
it was going to be for the last Saturday it was open…… Brian and Heather
Hopkins had to leave early to go to a wedding……27 teams fished, and the
average fish weighed in was 4.23 pounds.
That high average was due to the 18 inch minimum……Several of the teams
saw bald eagles chasing the coots..… Keep Steve
Reynolds in your prayers. He is
facing some medical challenges and was unable to fish…..Lee
Davis had to make an emergency wheel bearing repair at the weigh-in. Big thanks to Kevin Davis for having
the tools to fix the wheel..….. All the fish caught were very healthy…….We are going to miss fishing this lake in future
tournaments.
LAKE CONDITIONS
Air temp 48-56; Drizzle most of the day and cloudy; winds mostly
NNE 5-10 mph; water temp 58; water clarity 3 ft; lake level full; grass
everywhere.
LAKESIDE DEVO
Charley David gave a short message on forgiveness. It was exactly 16 years ago that we lost a
member of the club practicing on Lake Fairfield for our opening tournament in
2007. You never know when your last day
on earth will be, so get your forgiving done before it is too late.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3fKw1kDkCyiobNdM6
Joe Lee closed us in a prayer, and we were dismissed.
For
more information about the Bass Club email cowboychurchbassclub@hotmail.com or contact Charley David at 214-878-3354