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| FishTails |
Decker Claims Southern Qualifier
[September 18, 2002] - Chris Lawrence
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| WVBF Southern Qualifier Champion Joe Decker (r) accepts his award from
WVBF President John Burdette. |
There's no question southern West Virginia needed mid-September rain in the worst way. That was one of the few
positive things anglers in the WVBF qualifier on Summersville Lake could say about a day that began for everybody
with pulling the rain suit on one-leg at a time. However, angler Joe Decker of Logan County probably won't complaint
too much as he became the southern division champion and also became the first to accept his plaque through the
window of the WVBF tournament trailer.
Foreboding skies during the Saturday night weigh-in were only a pre-cursor to the Sunday deluge.
"You guys with fish hurry up!" Shouted Tournament Director Steve Jackson. "We've dodged the bullet
about as long as we can." When clouds gathered in the eastern sky.
Although the Saturday night weigh-in largely escaped shower activity-Sunday proved so wet that even the notes for
this story look as if they were dipped in ink. Decker however found no change from Saturday to Sunday in a secluded
creek channel far up McKee's Creek.
"I was fishing a creek channel up there the entire time." Says the Holden angler. "I knew there
were fish in there and it was just a matter of time for them to bite."
Decker began the two-day tournament hoping for a bonus fish on a potential topwater bite in an area that has served
him well. Decker and his regular Buddy Trail partner used the area up McKee's creek to their advantage in the May
tournament. Although the banks that proved so productive four months ago were part of the landscape now.
"I knew there were some big fish up there, but I didn't know if they would bite or not. I ran up there a few
hours just to see if I could maybe raise one of them."
Decker was able to burn a few hours at the location because of supreme confidence in his creek channel on another
arm of the area.
"I was Carolina rigging in that channel. I caught 7 keepers out of there the first day, and one today."
Fortunately for Decker, a backup spot produced three more keepers giving him a two day stringer of 11lbs-4ounces
and enough to top second place finisher Tim Isaacs who carried 10lbs-9ounces to the scales.
If there were odds on WVBF Tournaments, smart money would have been on Brad Backus or Dave Martin to win-or at
least finish strong. The Buddy Trail partners are always tough on Summersville Lake. Both lived up to their aforementioned
abilities and scored third and fourth place. Martin weighed in 10lbs-5ounces and Backus 8lbs-8ounces. Bub Shelton
took fifth place with 8lbs-four ounces.
The top-25 anglers from the Southern Qualifier made the State Tournament. The cutoff weight was 4lbs-14ounces.
A flip of the coin also decided whether the southern or northern division would get the 13th boater. That coin
flip was won by the south that sends 13 boaters to Sutton.
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| Ed Bryan of A & B BASSMASTERS with a quality Summersville smallmouth
bass. Bryan finished 8th overall. |
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| Umbrellas and rainsuits were in order at the weigh-in trailer sunday
afternoon at Summersville Lake. |
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