Summers Wins State Tournament
Tournament Results

Jim Summers finessed his go-to tube jig around stumps to capture the crown of State Champion during the 2001 WVBF State Championship Oct. 20-21 2001 on the Mon River. Photograph by Jim Matuga

By Chris Lawrence

It's been quite a year for West Virginia Bass Federation angler Jim Summers. Rarely in one year have many bass anglers been able to make the claim they fished with the governor and won the state's most coveted fishing title. It's been that kind of a year for Jim.

However, if you would have asked what his chances were in the days leading up to the 2001 State Championship Tournament, the WVBF Conservation Director may have been driven to tears. After all, Summers has fished the state championship event for years-but never won. Three times he's made the state team, but the top spot among West Virginia Bass Federation members had eluded him.

"I was pretty disgusted." Says Summers after several frustrating practice days. "I caught three fish in practice, one in the West Fork, one above Reevesville, and one above the locks. I couldn't put a pattern together. The more I fished, the worse it got."

Compounding that frustration was the tournament venue. After all, Summers lives in Marion County-a stone's throw from the Monongahela River-and another stone's hurl from the put-in point. Summers has fished this river all his life, in all kinds of conditions. He has the fish named-well okay, maybe that's a stretch-but one would think his vast knowledge of the water would have at least given one of the leading contenders some idea of how to eke out five bites a day. Yet going in it looked hopeless.

Summers says he was ready to cancel any hopes of the Connecticut River and the Eastern Regional Championship until the mandatory pre-tournament meeting on the eve of day one. That's when hopes began to brighten as Summers drew his long time friend Nelson White as his first day partner.

"Nelson has been an idol to me for years." Says Summers, "When I first started fishing competitively, Nelson White was always in the winner's circle. He was the guy you had to beat if you wanted to win a tournament."

After relating his patterning woes to his long time buddy, Summers says White took charge and let him in on a stump pattern he had found.

"We'd fish slowly over stump beds that were kind of hard to find, but Nelson knew where they were." Says Summers. "The fish would come up on those, but you had to be patient and wait."

The pattern worked to perfecting enabling Summer's to catch four-fish on day one and tying him for the lead with another strong competitor Mike Goff.

"Those four fish and fishing with Nelson built my confidence." Notes Summers, "The next day before we took off, I talked to Nelson and he said, 'You can do it.'"

Summers went back to the stump pattern tossing one of his favorite baits, a Denny Brauer Strike King tube. The lure he used to catch every fish of the tournament.

"I had confidence in that pattern and knew it was just a matter of time until those fish moved up."

But by noon, the livewell was still empty.

"Greg Henline and another guy pulled up to talk to us and I was telling him about that stump pattern and how fish would move up. Almost immediately I caught one about three-pounds. I moved up to the next stump and caught another one on the next cast that was about a pound-and-a-half. I ran up the river to another bunch of stumps and on the first cast caught a smallmouth."

The first fish anchored his lead and gave Summers an easy victory with a total weight of 10lbs-3ozs. Scott Pandas of Mound City BassMasters took second place with a two-day total weight of 7lbs-6oz. A 4lb-4oz bass on Sunday vaulted Pandas up the rankings. The fish was the tournament lunker. Other anglers making the state team were Robby Fleshman, Chase Bryant, Monte Krepps, Gary Sapp, and Len Lanham. Mike Goff endured a rough outing on day two after being tied with Summers for the lead, but finished eighth. Rounding out the top 12 were Tim Rhodes, Mike Chestnut, Jimmie Bartlett, and Robert Harkness. The team alternate will be Jim Merical with a 13th place finish.

"That's how tournaments are won." Concludes Summers on his winning day, "Boom, boom, boom, when you least expect it."

Summers wouldn't argue a little help from a friend now and then doesn't hurt either.

• Total Bass Caught 102
• Total Bass Released Alive 101
• Total Tournament Weight 146lbs-7oz.

The West Virginia BASS Federation State Team for 2001: Jim Summers, Scott Panas, Robby Fleshman, Chase Bryant, Monte Kreps, Gary Sapp, Len Lanham, Mike Goff, Tim Rhodes, Mike Chestnut, Jimmie Bartlett, and Robert Harkness