Hooked on Education Fishing Tournament draws 178 boats
On Saturday, May 5, fishermen joined again for White River Valley Electric Cooperative’s annual Hooked on Education Fishing Tournament in support of WRVEC’s student scholarship program. The event brought 178 boats, the largest number to date. The annual gathering lured anglers back to raise funds for youth in the WRVEC service area looking to further their education.
Participating boats launched at 7 a.m. from Theodosia Marina on Bull Shoals Lake. Teams had eight hours for their chance at the title and up to five fish to bring in the highest poundage, biggest bass, any other fish and smallest stringer.
“This event allows the community to support the educational pursuits of our youth while doing something that they enjoy,” WRVEC CEO Chris Hamon said. “One of White River’s core values is commitment to community. This tournament exemplifies that commitment.”
The top 18 teams were awarded prizes at the weigh-in:
1. Buck Comstock and Greg Blair won $2,400 with an 18.21 pound catch.
2. Tommy Skinner and Mike Cox won $1,850 with a 15.75 pound catch.
3. Ricky Jones and Landon Snelson won $1,300 with a 15.07 pound catch.
4. Heston Fish and Adam Johnson won $850 with a 14.40 pound catch.
5. Jason Davidson and Darren Tilley won $750 with a 14.18 pound catch.
6. Tim Dail and Danny Barr won $650 with a 14.07 pound catch.
7. Mark Sanders and Ronnie Curry won $575 with a 13.97 pound catch and brought in another $340 with the third-largest bass weighing in at 4.85 pounds.
8. Brian Sherrill and Albert Scott won $550 with a 13.87 pound catch.
9. Chris Bettis and Chris Wilkerson won $450 with a 13.72 pound catch and brought in another $770 with the largest bass weighing in at 5.13 pounds.
10. Calvin Phillips and Jim Phillips won $375 with a 13.65 pound catch.
11. Derek Blair and Tony Todd won $350 with a 13.03 pound catch.
12. Steve Redford and Dan Warner won $300 with a 12.65 pound catch.
13. Robbie Duggan and Bobby Landry won $280 with a 12.62 pound catch.
14. Scott Adams and Nick Ellison won $265 with a 12.53 pound catch.
15. Dave Rogers and Laryme Campbell won $250 with a 12.28 pound catch.
16. Jeff Hogan and Ryan Hogan won $220 with an 11.83 pound catch.
17. Bruce Klatt and Bill Klatt won $220 with an 11.79 pound catch.
18. Phillip McFarland and David Well won $185 with an 11.43 pound catch.
Additional Winners include:
- Daniel Busch and Ted Carter won $600 with the second largest bass weighing in at 5.09 pounds.
- Edward Guzik and Justin Schaefer won $100 for the smallest stringer weighing in at 1.19 pounds.
- Ashton McDaniel and Pat Boden won $50 for the largest any fish weighing in at 5.61 pounds.
Proceeds from the Hooked on Education Tournament benefit WRVEC’s Scholarship Trust, funded by Operation Round Up.
Each spring, scholarship applications are available to full-time students from the cooperative’s five-county service area. WRVEC’s scholarship trust has awarded more than $1.6 million in aid for higher education to candidates who are evaluated on the basis of financial need, overall academic performance, extra-curricular involvement and college acceptance.
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