2010 2011 Change
Total # Fish Caught 161 to 230, which is a 43% Increase
Total Weight 361.66lbs 512.45 42% Increase
Biggest Bass Caught 6.92lbs (Deon, LOZ, March) 5.38lbs (Penrod, May, Smithville) 28% Decrease
Avg. Bass Size 2.25 lbs 2.23lbs .1% Decrease
Lake Stats - Truman remains our best lake for # of fish caught AND most weight and Smithville had the heaviest average bass size this year vs. LOZ last year
Overall, 2011 was a year where we caught a LOT more fish, but the fish were somewhat smaller overall. Still, better than working!
On October 22nd and 23rd CSBA hosted 2011 season TOC on Pomme de Terre. Even though the weather the week prior was considerably cooler than recent weeks, our hopes that it would be enough to get the shad and bass going went unfulfilled. Daytime temperatures hovered around the low to high 70’s with a bit of cloud cover, but not enough to make a difference. Water temps were still in the low to mid 60’s by mid-day, relatively clear closer to the dam, more stained up river, pretty typical for Pomme. Regardless, all 6 teams still managed to find ways to put limits of Pomme bass in the boat! All 12 competitors remarked after it was all said and done that this was one of the best TOC’s our club has ever had. Everyone caught fish and had a great time!
Pre-fishing reports indicated the fish were still on their summer pattern. The bite up both rivers was non-existent which kept all 6 teams focusing on more main lake patterns. The topwater bite was also dismal, surprising for late October. Most of the fish caught were on main lake points or significant secondary points and bluff banks. Sudden depth change nearby seemed to be the key. Most reported no trouble putting lots of “Pommie Keepers” in the boat, but that 15+ inch fish bite proved to be the separating factor.
Saturday morning we arose to a beautiful sunrise and mild temperatures. When safe light finally arrived around 7:00am our 6 teams set off to see who could manage to find that sometimes elusive bigger fish bite on Pomme. When our 4:00PM weigh in rolled around it became apparent very quickly that everyone had a good day. 6 teams brought 6 limits to the scales! This hasn’t happened in one of our tournaments since anyone could remember. Taking the Day 1 lead with an 11.49lb limit was Terry Corum and Bryan Penrod. Their fine sack was anchored by the day’s big bass at 2.74lbs. Mike Powell and Morgan McLain came in a close second with a limit of Pomme bass tipping the scales to 10.09lbs. Third was Garry Gustafson and Paul Boesel with a limit weighing 9.71lbs. Fourth place was Jim Terrell and Darren Lofts with a limit that weighed 9.69lbs. Fifth place was Pat Greisen and Bryant Haddock with a limit that went 8.27 lbs and sixth place was Deon Hockensmith and Jeff Wilson with a limit weighing 8.13lbs. Not a bad day indeed! The first and last place teams separated by the weight of 1 decent fish!
With the Day 1 weights being so close Day 2 was really anyone’s game. It would come down to who could maintain those bigger bites and who’s spots continued to produce keepers on Day 2.
Day 2 weather was pretty much identical to the day before. So off we set again to see who would take this year’s TOC Champion title. Our Noon weigh in again showed that the strong bite from the day before held out for most teams. When it was all said and done, Terry Corum and Bryan Penrod added another 5 fish limit weighing in at 7.83 lbs to bring their two day total to 19.32lbs to take the win. They also tied for the Day 2 big bass at 2.21 lbs. Terry and Bryan caught their fish on main lake points on plastics and crankbaits. Also bringing in another 5 fish limit weighing in at 8.13lbs was Mike Powell and Morgan McLain. Their two day total ended up at 18.22lbs, good enough for second place. Mike and Morgan were also in the big bass tie for the day with their 2.21lb fish. Mike and Morgan caught their fish on bluff banks on crankbaits and plastics. Hanging onto their third place spot was Garry Gustafson and Paul Boesel with their 4 fish sack weighing in at 6.95lbs bringing their two day total to 16.66lbs. Weighing in the third and final limit on Day 2 was Deon Hockensmith and Jeff Wilson weighing 7.08lbs. This brought their 2 day total to 15.21lbs, good enough to land them in the 4th place spot. Pat Greisen and Bryant Haddock added a 4 fish sack at 6.17lbs bringing their two day total to 14.44lbs taking 5th place overall. Unfortunately motor problems plagued Jim Terrell on Day 2 so they had to settle for 3 fish weighing 3.78lbs bringing their two day total to 13.47lbs to take sixth place.
30 fish weighed in for 57.38lbs on Day 1 and 26 fish for 39.94lbs on Day 2, for a 2 day total of 56 fish for 97.32 total pounds!! It was a very good weekend!
Finally, we’d like to extend a heartfelt “Thank You” to Charlie Aulgur and his family for hosting our 2011 Year End Banquet on Nov. 19th. Club members and spouses enjoyed a great evening of dining and celebrating the great 2011 season we had. TOC winners and runners up were given their awards and our 2011 AOY Jim Terrell was awarded his plaque. The Club sponsored BBQ meat was delicious as was all of the other member provided side dishes!
