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Corner: Articles: 2003 |
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 Big Bite Gives Youngster Big Win
(Sutton Lake) - You can plan for a lot of things, but weather isn't one of them. Who would have believed
on June 21st you would have needed a jacket all day. Even more amazing is how weather can scuttle other decisions.
Who would have believed the Bee Run Beach would be empty on June 21st? Confusing? Well, not quite as confusing
as the effort to put-in for the 2003 Jim Catherman Memorial Youth Tournament, but more on that in a moment.
By the days end, one young lady was thinking clearly. Samara Nelson of Bridgeport hauled a five-pound bass to the
weigh-in scales anchoring a six-fish limit and giving her an easy victory in the 13 and over division for 2003.
"Where'd you get that fish?" Joked weighmaster Steve Jackson. The monster bass was a stark contrast to
the scads of the normal 10 to 11 inch spotted bass that have become Sutton Lake's hallmark. The size limit for
the youth tournament is always lowered to 10-inches rather than the normal 12 to help insure success for youngsters.
Samara wasn't talking, but she will be spending. The big bass and her five other fish weighed 8lbs-8oz and gave
her a $535 check for the win and big bass honors.
Turns out the five-pounder was the difference in the older age division. Adam Brown finished second with a six-fish
limit weighting 5lbs-8oz. Rounding out the money winners in the older age division were Nathan Lancaster, Will
Diffenbauch, Cody Bleigh, and Justin Marks.
The younger age division, 12 and under, proved to be tighter competition. Once the scales closed, Tanner Bailey
held the winning weight of 7lbs-4oz. Alex Goff finished second in the division with a six fish limit anchored by
the younger division's lunker at 2lbs-2oz. Mark Pritt, Nathan Lanham, Josh Merical, and Jim Davis rounded out the
younger division's money winners.
Fifty-nine youngsters competed in the annual tournament, evidence of the strong emphasis on youth in recent years
by the West Virginia Bass Federation. The annual tournament is becoming a victim of its own success. The 2003 tournament
was moved from the Bee Run Ramp to the ramp beside the dam in hopes of evading other lake users. The Corps of Engineers
offered the Federation exclusive access to the ramp for the day to accommodate the throngs of anglers and cut down
on congestion at the Bee Run marina and beach.
The chilly June temperatures and overcast skies kept the crowds away from Bee Run, but left a logjam at the dam
ramp. Due to the continued growth of the tournament it's anticipated a new site may be selected to accommodate
the growing number of young anglers. The Federation Board is discussing the idea of moving the tournament in 2004
to Burnsville Lake. |
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