Bass fishers net big catches in tourney

The fish were biting for the fishers at The Bass Federation (TBF) Tri-State Open Buddy Tournament in Trout Creek July 27 and 28. The fishing began bright and early at 6 a.m. and didn’t slow down until 3 p.m. A total of 41 boats entered the competition, each with a two-person team.

Each bass was transported to the weighing and measuring station for the official scores. Live bags were used as well holding pools with oxygen to keep the fish alive while they were being measured. There was a limit of five fish per boat and a dead fish penalty that took 2 pounds off of the teams total daily weight.

Stan Fisher and JD Wood won the first day of the competition with their daily total of 17.50 pounds. The duo won $455. Second place on day one was Steve Roth and Bruce Sackett with 15.91 pound of fish. Roth and Sackett took home $273 for their catch In third place was Jerry Dickson and Jim Conlin with their total catch of 15.10 pounds and winning $182.

The biggest fish of day one went to father-son team Kyle and Bryce Quinnell. Their teamwork landed them a largemouth bass weighing 6.32 pounds. The bass also won the pair $130. When asked what their advice was for others fishing to land big fish, they answered, “Just don’t stop bass casting.”

Day two’s winners were Randy and Amanda Siemens with a total of 17.93 pounds and taking home $420. Second place went to Dickson and Conlin whose daily catch weighed 16.53 pounds, winning them $252. Third place went to Fisher and Wood with a total of 15.89 pounds and winning $168.

Fisher and Wood also caught the largest fish of the second day of competition, weighing 5.23 pound and winning them $120.

The TBF event was held behind the Lakeside in Trout Creek and was part of a qualifying series to form the Montana State Bass team which will represent Montana in the upcoming semifinal tournament that will be held on Noxon Reservoir on September 7 and 8.

This competition will put the Montana team members up against teams from Idaho. The top boater and co-angler from each state will qualify to fish TBF National Championships next spring. The exact location has not been announced.

At the National Championships, Montana and Idaho fishers will compete against the top anglers from each state throughout the nation as well as the top anglers in the Northwestern states that include Washington, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

The top boater overall will win the “Living the Dream” package which includes a fully rigged Ranger boat and a matching truck, along with entry fees for one year. Division winners will win entry fees for other major events along with prize money.

There are two ways of qualifying for these events which includes a draw series (four events, count the best three events) and a buddy series (eight events, count best four events) and the number of contestants qualified is determined by participation. This qualifying process will conclude after the final event which will be held on Middle and Lower Thompson Lakes August 9 and 10.