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| FishTails |
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One Ounce Decides Ravenswood Tournament
[July 9, 2002] - By Chris Lawrence
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| Ravenswood Fog. |
Among the most worn out clichés in the lexicon of sports writing is calling football a "game of inches."
Another overused, poorly phrased adaptation is to call tournament fishing a "game of ounces." Fatigued
words or not, they are about the only ones that could accurately document the final statistics of the July 7th
Buddy Trail contest on the Ohio River at Ravenswood.
Ravenswood tournaments are notoriously difficult, evidenced by what is usually the lowest boat turnout of the year
for the Bass Federation trail. Forty-seven teams decided to give it a shot this year. The tournament is typically
a late June affair with high temperatures, odd flows, and slow bass. The 2001 tournament came the week after flooding
rains hit the state and left the river high and muddy. This year's regularly scheduled affair was a similar scenario
to the point that it forced postponement until July-and even hotter, odder, and slower time of the year.
"This place always kicks our butts." Said always-fierce angler Kevin Goff of the Ravenswood stop. "I
was thrilled to have three fish!"
Anglers Lester Marsh and Alan Fluharty of Morgantown would have been thrilled to have one more fish. Tournament
boss Steve Jackson shut down the scales Sunday evening to reveal a win for the team of Don Frazier and Russ Murphy
with 10lbs-2oz. Marsh and Fluharty were one ounce short with 10lbs-1oz and had to settle for second. The story
from Frazier and Murray may have made the second place finish even harder to swallow.
"We ain't been here for three years." Laughed a happy Frazier, with the $1,219 top prize firmly in hand.
"We got fogged in as we were heading down river, pulled on a spot and stayed there."
Frazier may not have been to Ravenswood in three years, but he is competitive on other trails in the state and
on other venues with the West Virginia Bass Federation. The years of experience paid off handily on a slow and
often difficult day.
"I just went back to some of my old haunts I used to fish here and it paid off."
Murphy, who was actually substituting for the team's regular non-boater, and Frazier used lizards and buzzbaits
to bring in seven keepers-ironically one short of the limit. The fish came from the banks of the main river near
Big Mill Creek, working along a long grass line. The tandem claim they caught fish all day, but admit the morning
bite was far more active.
For Marsh and Fluharty, there wasn't much to say after giving it your best shot. It was an even harder pill to
swallow for Marsh, who had the fish on to win, but watched it come undone just as it got to the boat at the end
of the day.
"That's just the way it goes." Grinned Marsh, "We'll get 'em next time."
"We can't complain!" added Fluharty as the pair split $677 and the all-important 99 points toward the
trail championship standings.
Staying in the Ravenswood pool, Fluharty and Marsh relied on a slow presentation with tube baits after the morning
bite slowed. They too caught fish all day.
Dion Bright and Jim Matuga grabbed their highest finish ever in a Buddy Trail tournament with 8lbs-13oz. The bag
was anchored by a 3lb-9oz largemouth. Locals Jim Merical and Ryan Harmon notched fourth with 7lbs-10oz. Carl Cogar
and Jason Workman rounded out the top five with only four fish, but a total weight of 7lbs even. Helping their
cause was a 3lb-1oz largemouth. Bert Nolan nabbed the tournament lunker a 4lb-4oz largemouth.
With temperatures hovering in the 90's, anglers should be proud losing only one of the 103 bass caught.
TOURNAMENT NOTES:
Total Teams 47
Total Bass Weighed 103
Total Dead Bass 1
Total Weight 141-08
Avg. Wt Per Bass 1-05
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| Jim Matuga's lunker. |
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| Ravenswood 2002 winners. |
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| Ravenswood weigh-in. |
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